Imran’s petition against ECP referred to IHC CJ

CJ Kasi likely to assign three-judge bench, rather than one for hearing

ISLAMABAD: A single bench of the Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Thursday referred Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan’s petition against the electoral watchdog to the IHC chief justice for hearing by a larger bench.

Khan, in his petition, had challenged the issuance of arrest warrants by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) in a contempt case.

Justice Aamer Farooq sent the case to IHC Chief Justice Mohammad Anwar Khan Kasi for placing it before a larger bench, comprising Justice Farooq, Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kayani and Justice Miangul Hassan Aurangzeb, already hearing a similar matter.



In the petition, the PTI chief’s counsel, Babar Awan prayed the court that arrest warrants issued on October 12 by the ECP against his client “be set aside and proceedings initiated [by the ECP] against the petitioner” may be declared “void, unlawful, without lawful authority, against the Constitution and law on the subject in the interest of justice”.

The PTI chief has made respondents the ECP and a disgruntled member of PTI, Akbar S Babar, who has questioned PTI’s sources of foreign funding.

On October 12, a five-member bench of the ECP issued non-bailable arrest warrants for the PTI chief. The arrest warrants were issued after Khan repeatedly failed to personally appear before the ECP in response to a show-cause notice issued on August 24 for defaming ECP in a foreign funding case.