ISLAMABAD: Pakistan's election regulator on Monday instructed Islamabad police to arrest former Prime Minister Imran Khan in a contempt case and present him before the commission tomorrow, Tuesday, local media widely reported.
The orders follow a July 11 non-bailable arrest warrant issued by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) against Khan for failing to appear before the regulator in a case relating to “contemptuous remarks” made at a public rally last year against the ECP and its chairman, Sikandar Sultan Raja.
"Irked by his persistent absence from the hearings, the ECP instructed the Islamabad IG to arrest Imran and present him before the electoral watchdog tomorrow (Tuesday)," a report on Geo.tv said, adding that a four-member bench headed by ECP official Nisar Durrani issued the orders.
“The former prime minister was skipping hearings despite being summoned in a personal capacity time and again.”
It was unclear when, or if, police would comply with the ECP's order and arrest Khan.
The ECP’s order came just hours after Khan got respite from the Supreme Court of Pakistan, which restrained authorities from arresting him till August 9 in connection with the murder by unknown gunmen in Quetta city of a lawyer seeking sedition proceedings against him.
Khan, who has been campaigning for an early election since his ouster last year, has been embroiled in over a 100 cases since he was removed, and has accused the government of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and the all-powerful military and intelligence agencies of trying to destroy his PTI party.
The military says it does not interfere in political affairs and the government denies political persecution.
