Imran Khan to be indicted in ECP contempt case next month

• Four-member bench, headed by Nisar Durrani, heard case.
• Khan's lawyer asks for more time to gather facts of case.
• PTI requested postponing the case till September. 

ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Tuesday postponed till August 2 the indictment of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan in a contempt case filed against him. 

Yesterday, the ECP ordered the federal capital police to arrest Khan and pre­sent him before the commission in the contempt case, wherein he allegedly used "intemperate" language for the electoral body and the chief election commissioner (CEC).

The PTI chairman today appeared before the election commission, resulting in the suspension of his arrest warrants.

A four-member bench, headed by Nisar Durrani, heard the case today.

A member of the election commission said that on August 2, the commission would frame the charge on the PTI chairman and directed him to appear in the next hearing in person.

The ECP initiated the proceedings against the PTI chairman, Asad Umar and former information minister Fawad Chaudhry last year.

But the three raised the issue in various high courts, arguing that Section 10 of the Elections Act 2017 was "unconstitutional". 

However, the Supreme Court earlier this year had greenlit the ECP's proceedings, and last month the ECP framed charges.

When the trio failed to appear before the commission despite repeated summons, it issued arrest warrants for Khan and ex-party leader Chaudhary, accepting Umar’s plea to be exempted from the hearing.

During today's hearing, Khan's legal counsel Shoaib Shaheen requested that the hearing be adjourned until September.

"We have only one month of vacation, and since you asked for a personal appearance, we have appeared, Shaheen said.

However, he added we have not received a copy of the order. 

At this, a bench member responded that instructions had been given for the document. He directed the PTI lawyer to contact the law wing.

Shaheen then claimed he needed more time to gather the facts of the case since he was a new lawyer on the case and did not have the complete record yet.

"Earlier, there were other lawyers on this case; now, I am the lawyer. This is my first appearance." 

After this, the hearing was postponed till August 2.