ISLAMABAD: A Pakistan choose dropped an arrest warrant in opposition to former prime minister Imran Khan on Saturday (Mar 18), his legal professionals stated, after the ex-cricket star, who had skipped a number of hearings, travelled to court docket.
The 70-year-old has been tangled in a slew of court docket circumstances since he was ousted in a no-confidence movement final yr and has been pressuring the delicate coalition authorities, which changed him, to carry early elections.
Earlier this week, Khan’s supporters fought pitched battles with police despatched to arrest him within the japanese metropolis of Lahore after he failed to look in court docket over graft fees, citing safety issues.
“The court docket has cancelled the arrest warrant after marking Imran Khan’s attendance. The listening to has been adjourned until March 30,” one among Khan’s legal professionals, Gohar Khan, informed AFP.
Khan, in workplace from 2018 to 2022, is dealing with a spate of authorized challenges, together with one which prompted a failed try and arrest him on Tuesday.
He was to deal with fees in court docket on Saturday of unlawfully promoting state items given to him by international dignitaries whereas in workplace.
Khan says he adopted authorized procedures in buying the items.
The 70-year-old reached the capital on Saturday afternoon and was on his solution to the court docket in a motorcade surrounded by supporters.
After days of authorized wrangling, Khan travelled greater than 300 km from Lahore to the Islamabad court docket complicated, however was unable to get out of the automobile.
Round 4,000 supporters mobbed the complicated, pelting stones and throwing bricks at law enforcement officials who fired again with tear fuel.
The court docket nonetheless accepted Khan’s attendance, his legal professionals stated.
Islamabad’s police chief informed native broadcaster Geo Information that Khan’s supporters had attacked police close to the court docket and fired tear fuel shells, prompting police to fireplace extra tear fuel again.
Khan has led nationwide protests since his ouster from energy final yr and has had a spate of circumstances registered in opposition to him.
The police chief for Punjab province, Usman Anwar, informed a media convention in Lahore that officers went to Khan’s home on Saturday to intercept individuals who had been concerned in earlier clashes with police and had arrested 61 individuals, together with for throwing petrol bombs.
Earlier this week, police and Khan’s supporters clashed exterior his residence throughout the arrest try.
Hours earlier than leaving his residence, the previous cricket star informed Reuters he has shaped a committee to guide his occasion, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), if he’s arrested.
Khan, who was shot and wounded whereas campaigning in November, stated within the interview the risk to his life is bigger than earlier than and asserted – with out offering proof – that his political opponents and the army need to block him from standing in elections later this yr.
The army and authorities didn’t instantly reply to requests for remark.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s authorities has denied being behind the circumstances in opposition to Khan. The army – which has an outsized position in Pakistan, having dominated the nation for almost half of its 75-year historical past – has stated it stays impartial in direction of politics.
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