Pakistan’s former Prime Minister Imran Khan was on March 18 allowed by a local court to go back without his indictment in a corruption case after he marked his attendance outside the court complex, amidst a stand-off between his supporters and security forces who have tried to arrest him for skipping multiple previous hearings.
Mr. Khan, the 70-year-old chief of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party, was scheduled to appear before the court of Additional District and Sessions Judge (ADSJ) Zafar Iqbal to attend proceedings on the complaint filed by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) for allegedly concealing details of gifts in his assets declarations.
Judge Iqbal after waiting for hours for Mr. Khan to reach the court agreed with the suggestion by his lawyer to get the signature of the former premier on the attendance sheet in his vehicle to comply with the court orders of in-person presence.
The judge allowed Mr. Khan to go back after marking his attendance outside the Islamabad Judicial Complex where he was set to be indicted in the Toshakhana case.
Also Read: Islamabad court suspends non-bailable arrest warrant against Imran Khan in Toshakhana case
“The situation as it is, the hearing and appearance cannot proceed that is why all those who have gathered here should disperse after marking attendance. There is no need for shelling or pelting, the hearing cannot be held today,” the judge was quoted as saying by Dawn newspaper.
The judge added that once Mr. Khan’s signatures were received then it could be later discussed at what date to hold his appearance again.
The paper said that people inside the courtroom were facing difficulties due to the effects of the teargas while PTI party workers pelted stones at the court complex.
Senior PTI leader Shah Mahmood Qureshi confirmed to the media that all legal formalities regarding his appearance in the court had been fulfilled and Mr. Khan was leaving the premises. Thus, Mr. Khan went away without his indictment in the case.
Mr. Khan earlier reached the court premises but his efforts to reach the courtroom were thwarted due to the deteriorating law and order situation.
During the hearing, Mr. Khan’s lawyer Khawaja Haris said that he already challenged the maintainability of the case and it should be decided first before indictment.
Supporters of former Pakistan’s Prime Minister Imran Khan gather around his car as he leaves his residence in Lahore on March 18, 2023. | Photo Credit: AFP
Earlier, clashes erupted between security forces and Mr. Khan’s supporters outside the judicial complex ahead of his appearance before the court.
Islamabad police chief Akbar Nasir Khan told the media that Mr. Khan’s supporters resorted to violence, pelted stones at the police and also set on fire a police picket.
“Our force is tackling the situation with patience,” he said, adding that Mr. Khan was just five minutes away from driving to the court.
Stringent security measures were implemented outside the judicial complex in Islamabad’s G-11, where Mr. Khan appeared.
A large contingent of police has been deployed to the area to provide security for Mr. Khan, who survived an assassination attempt in November last year.
Mr. Khan arrived in Islamabad from Lahore to appear before the court. He was accompanied by his supporters in a convoy.
At least three vehicles in his convoy also met with an accident near the Kalar Kahar area on the M-2 motorway but no casualties were reported.
The Islamabad administration on March 17, night imposed Section 144 in the capital, prohibiting private companies, security guards, or individuals from carrying weapons. It is mandatory for drivers to carry their vehicle registration documents while driving.
Also Read: Toshakhana case | Pakistan court to indict former PM Imran Khan on February 7
In the last hearing on March 16, the court rejected Mr. Khan’s plea seeking the suspension of non-bailable arrest warrants issued for him.
However, the Islamabad High Court (IHC) on March 17, suspended non-bailable arrest warrants issued for Mr. Khan, providing him with a chance to appear before the trial court on March 18.
During the March 17 hearing, Mr. Khan’s lawyer Khawaja Haris submitted an undertaking by his client, assuring it that the PTI chief would appear in court on March 18.
Mr. Khan has been in the crosshairs for buying gifts, including an expensive Graff wristwatch he had received as the Premier at a discounted price from the state depository called Toshakhana and selling them for profit.
Established in 1974, the Toshakhana is a department under the administrative control of the Cabinet division and stores precious gifts given to rulers, parliamentarians, bureaucrats, and officials by heads of other governments and States and foreign dignitaries.
Meanwhile, over 10,000 armed Punjab police personnel launched a major operation at Mr. Khan’s Zaman Park residence in Lahore and arrested dozens of workers of his party and claimed to have seized weapons and petrol bombs, hours after he left for Islamabad.
The police launched the “grand operation” at Mr. Khan’s Zaman Park residence here and removed all camps, and barricades erected there by the party activists to prevent his arrest in the Toshakhana case.
During the operation, 61 workers of the party were arrested and about 10 PTI workers and three policemen were injured.
Mr. Khan’s Lahore residence remained a battlefield between his party workers and police and Rangers for two days earlier this week over his “arrest operation” in the case.
The PTI workers, however, succeeded in foiling his arrest attempt and the operation was halted on the Lahore High Court’s order earlier this week.
Inspector General Police Punjab Dr. Usman Anwar after the operation told a press conference that earlier the police had stopped the operation at Zaman Park on LHC order and PSL match.
“However, the court didn’t stop us from taking action against those involved in attacking police. Today we launched an operation at 12 noon. We faced resistance from the PTI workers however we managed to control the situation and arrested 61 workers,” he said.
The IGP said that 20 rifles, including Kalashnikov, and petrol bomb bottles have been recovered from Mr. Khan’s residence.
Some bunkers were also built in the Zaman Park area, he said, adding that a case will be registered against Mr. Khan in this regard.
He said Mr. Khan’s house had been raided after police got search warrants.
The cricketer-turned-politician was disqualified by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) in October last year for not sharing details of the sales. The top electoral body later filed a complaint with the district court to punish him, under criminal laws, for selling the gifts he had received as Prime Minister of the country.
Mr. Khan was ousted from power in April last year after losing a no-confidence vote, becoming the first Pakistani Prime Minister to be voted out by the National Assembly.
