ISLAMABAD: Islamabad magistrate Rana Mujahid Rahim on Saturday issued an arrest warrant for former Prime Minister Imran Khan for allegedly threatening a woman judge at a rally in August.
 The arrest warrant, seen by Arab News, includes four sections of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC). These include sections 506 (punishment for criminal intimidation), 504 (intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of the peace), 189 (threat of injury to public servant), and 188 (disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant).
Khan had criticized Chaudhry in an impassioned speech during a rally on August 20 in Islamabad's F-9 park. The rally was held to protest his chief of staff Dr. Shahbaz Gill's arrest. At the rally, the ex-premier promised his supporters he would not “spare” the Islamabad inspector general and deputy inspector general of police, adding his party would also “take action” against Chaudhry, who had remanded Gill in police custody.
However, Islamabad Police clarified that the warrant was issued to ensure Khan appeared before the court in the next hearing of the case since he had missed the previous one. It said the Islamabad High Court (IHC) had thrown out terror charges against Khan, after which the case against him for criticizing the judge was shifted to a session court.

“Imran Khan has still not obtained bail from the session court,” Islamabad Police wrote on Twitter. “In case he does not appear [for the next hearing], he can be arrested. We request people not to heed rumors.”
Asad Umar, secretary-general of Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party, warned authorities against arresting the former premier. "Don't make the mistake of taking Imran Khan into custody. You will regret it," he wrote on Twitter.

The IHC took notice of the speech and accused the ex-premier of threatening her in a contempt of court case. However, after Khan’s apology in court last week, the IHC—expected to indict the former premier—said it was satisfied with his response and asked him to submit a written affidavit.
 On Friday, Khan appeared before Chaudhry’s court to tender an apology in person but she was reportedly on leave. In an affidavit that Khan submitted at the IHC earlier today,  Saturday, the politician said he had struggled for the respect and independence of the judiciary in Pakistan for the past 26 years.
“That the deponent realized during these proceedings before the Honourable Court that the deponent might have crossed a red line while making public speech on 20 August 2022,” he wrote.
Khan said he never meant to threaten the judge and that “there was no intention behind the statement to take any action other than a legal action.”
The ex-premier said he was willing to explain and clarify before Chaudhry that neither he nor his party sought or intended to seek any action against her. “The deponent is willing to apologize to the Hon'ble Judge if she got an impression that the deponent had crossed a line,” he added.
Khan assured the court he would never do anything in future that would hurt the dignity of any court and the judiciary, especially the lower judiciary.
The cricket-star turned politician has faced a barrage of legal woes since his ouster in a vote of no-confidence in April by a united opposition led by his successor, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Friday termed as "against the spirit of friendly relations" the recent remarks by the Taliban's Deputy Foreign Minister Sher Abbas Stanikzai, in which he had called on Pakistan not to “interfere” in Afghanistan’s internal affairs. 

Stanikzai's statement this week referred to the concern shared by Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif regarding the threat posed by militant groups operating from the neighboring country during the latter's address with the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) on September 23. 

In response, Pakistan's foreign office on Friday stressed the need for Afghan interim authorities to take necessary steps to address international expectations and concerns.

“This is very unfortunate and unacceptable. We have noted with concern, these recent remarks,” Pakistan foreign office spokesperson, Asim Iftikhar Ahmed, said at a weekly press briefing. 

"We consider such statements as against the spirit of friendly relations between our two brotherly countries"." 

Stanikzai had said that they condemned the Pakistan prime minister’s statement and that no one had the right to "interfere" in Afghanistan’s internal affairs. 

“Obviously there is no interference in Afghanistan’s internal affairs. To the contrary, our Afghan friends are well aware of Pakistan’s support and advocacy for Afghanistan, for the international community to engage positively and constructively with Afghanistan, given the serious challenges, the economic situation and the humanitarian situation that is faced by the Afghan people,” Ahmed said. 

“I think it is very clear that it is in the interest of the people of Afghanistan that Pakistan has been advocating constructive international engagement. We have played our role in this regard.” 

In his UNGA address, PM Sharif had said that Pakistan shared the key concern of the international community regarding the threat posed by "major terrorist groups operating from Afghanistan, especially ISIL-K and TTP as well as Al-Qaida, ETIM and IMU."  

“They all need to be dealt with comprehensively, with the support and cooperation of the Interim Afghan authorities. In turn, the international community should address Afghanistan’s dire humanitarian needs,” he had said. 

Also on Friday, Pakistan condemned a “terrorist attack” on an educational institute in the Afghan capital of Kabul, which killed at least 19 people. 

"The government and people of Pakistan extend their profound and heartfelt condolences to the bereaved families and pray for early recovery of the injured," Islamabad said in a statement. 

"We stand in complete solidarity with our Afghan brethren in the fight against the scourge of terrorism."