Pakistan: New Arrest Warrant Issued for Former PM Khan

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Facts

  • Pakistan’s Election Commission (ECP) on Monday issued a non-bailable arrest warrant for former PM Imran Khan, whom the Supreme Court granted bail on Monday in a different case. Khan has faced more than 150 cases since parliament removed him from office in April 2022.1
  • The warrant claims that Khan and other members of his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party repeatedly ignored the ECP’s requests for their appearance in court for a contempt case and instead challenged the notices and proceedings.2
  • Khan appeared Tuesday before a special tribunal of the ECP with his lawyers in Islamabad for a brief hearing. On the same day, Khan also faced charges before Pakistan’s Federal Investigation Agency for allegedly exposing a secret document.3
  • The hearing saw the ECP postpone the contempt indictment until Aug. 2 — a case that accuses Khan of using “intemperate” language against the ECP and its chief election commissioner. It's also pursuing legal action against PTI chairman Asad Umar and former information minister Fawad Chaudhry.4
  • Khan’s litany of legal charges includes corruption, “terrorism,” and inciting violence during deadly protests that broke out after he was arrested in May for a graft case. The riots stopped after the Supreme Court ordered Khan’s release, and multiple courts have since shielded him from arrest.5
  • Khan, currently the main opposition leader, has denounced the legal proceedings against him as politically motivated. He still has a strong base of supporters despite Pakistan’s media regulator banning television channels from airing his speeches and even naming him.1

Sources: 1Al Jazeera, 2India Today, 3ABC News, 4GEO, and 5Associated Press.

Narratives

  • Narrative A, as provided by Yahoo News. Khan has been mired in controversy for years, and he must finally deal with the consequences of his actions. He has repeatedly acted like he is above the law, defying orders from multiple courts and regulatory bodies. While he may have been able to evade the legal system until now, he can no longer hide from the corruption, violence, and other scandals that have plagued Pakistan.
  • Narrative B, as provided by Guardian. Khan has become a political martyr who is taking all the abuse from the establishment in order to fight for the Pakistani people. Corrupt government agencies and courts are doing all they can to make an example out of him and are dismantling democracy in the process. But the more he's persecuted, the more his supporters will rally behind him.