ISLAMABAD: The high court in Pakistan’s Balochistan province on Friday suspended non-bailable arrest warrants for ex-prime minister Imran Khan in a case registered against him for his remarks against state institutions, local media reported on Friday.
A local court had issued the warrants on Thursday following registration of the case against Khan at a Quetta police station under multiple sections of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC) and the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA).
The cricketer-turned-politician levelled “baseless allegations against the state institutions” in his address with the public on March 5, Pakistan's Dawn newspaper reported, citing the police report.
Khan's lawyers filed a petition in the Balochistan High Court (BHC) early Friday, seeking a dismissal of the case against him. Khan could not be arrested as the alleged offense was not committed within the jurisdiction of the Quetta police station where the case was registered, they argued.
"BHC’s Justice Zaheer-Ud-Din Kakar conducted the hearing today and suspended the arrest warrants for two weeks after listening to arguments from the petitioner’s lawyer," the Dawn report read.
"He also issued notices to the Quetta inspector general of police, director investigation, senior superintendent (legal), the station house officer and the complainant."
The court then adjourned the hearing for two weeks.
Also on Friday, a police team from Quetta reached the eastern city of Lahore to take Khan into custody, but could not proceed after the BHC suspended the warrants, according to local media reports.
Khan, who was ousted in a parliamentary vote of no-confidence in April 2022, has been at loggerheads with the coalition government of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and the country's powerful military establishment.
The former premier accuses the coalition and former army chief Gen (retired) Qamar Javed Bajwa of orchestrating his ouster as part of a United States-backed "foreign conspiracy." All three deny the allegation.
Since his removal from office, Khan has been agitating against the government and the establishment through rallies and fiery speeches, pushing for early elections in the country which are otherwise slated to take place by October.
The ex-prime minister is currently facing more than 70 cases, including ones on charges of terrorism and sedition.
Last Sunday, the Islamabad police attempted but failed to arrest Khan from his Lahore residence to present him before an Islamabad court in a case involving the sale of state gifts.
