Govt not to detain Imran, says Rana Sanaullah

The coalition government will not detain Chairman PTI Imran Khan as the arrest warrant issued by a local Islamabad court is bailable, said Federal Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah Khan.

The minister told Geo News in the current affairs programme "Naya Pakistan" on Saturday that Imran's arrest warrant had to be issued because an accused is required to appear before a magistrate, but Imran didn't. The judge issues an arrest warrant if the accused fails to appear before the court, he explained.

This is a routine warrant issued under bailable clauses, he added, ruling out Imran Khan's arrest.

Discussing a case that was filed against Imran Khan for threatening a judge, the interior minister said the Islamabad High Court only dismissed the anti-terrorism provisions of the case. The court has not disposed of the case, he asserted. 

Censuring the PTI chief, Rana Sanaullah said he had compromised the independence of the country. He continued, "His [Imran's] crime is not pardonable. The Parliament will discuss it, and lawmakers will ratify any decision that is made unanimously at the floor of the House."

The minister said that the government has taken serious note of the audio leaks and has formed a committee to probe the issue.

When asked about the whereabouts of the diplomatic cypher, Rana Sana responded that the records of the Prime Minister's House are not checked every day; the record was only checked when the cypher was required.

The copy of the cypher was received at the PM House but is no longer there, Rana Sana said. He added that it seemed the former prime minister took the copy in his pocket.

The interior minister said it was a farce by Imran Khan, who recorded the minutes and later sent the same to the Chief Justice of Pakistan and the Speaker of the National Assembly.

Imran's arrest warrant issued

On October 1, a magistrate of Islamabad's Margalla Police Station issued an arrest warrant for PTI Chief Imran Khan.

The area magistrate issued an arrest warrant in the case registered on August 20 against the PTI chief for his remarks regarding Additional District and Sessions Judge Zeba Chaudhry.

The FIR includes four sections of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC), including 506 (punishment for criminal intimidation), 504 (intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of the peace), 189 (threat of injury to public servant), and 188 (disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant).

The former prime minister is facing contempt charges for his controversial remarks about additional district and sessions judge.

The court has issued an arrest warrant for Khan due to his non-appearance in court.

The Islamabad High Court (IHC) issued the warrant hours after the former prime minister submitted an affidavit in a contempt case against him.