Trouble for Imran Khan, Asad Umar, Fawad Chaudhry as ECP issues arrest warrants for all three

The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has issued bailable arrest warrants for Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan, along with two party leaders, Asad Umar and Fawad Chaudhry.

The warrants were issued by ECP’s four-member bench headed by member Nisar Durrani hearing a contempt case against the electoral body and Chief Election Commissioner (CEC), Sikander Sultan Raja.

The bench, while rejecting the PTI leaders’ pleas for exemption, directed them to appear before it on the next hearing which is scheduled for January 17. The commission had reserved the verdict on their pleas on January 3.

During the hearing today, the ECP rejected the pleas of PTI leaders seeking an exemption from appearing before the commission and issued arrest warrants for them against surety bonds worth Rs50,000 each.

The bench, subsequently, adjourned the hearing till January 17.

Both Asad Umar and Fawad Chaudhry took to Twitter and showed their disapproval towards the the issuance of the bailable arrest warrants.

In August last year, the ECP had issued a contempt notice to PTI leaders for insulting the election commission during various public meetings, press conferences and several interviews.

The notice charged that they insulted and passed unparliamentary, intemperate and contemptuous remarks against the electoral body on various occasions.