ISLAMABAD -- The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) Thursday (October 12) issued a non-bailable arrest warrant for Pakistani lawmaker Imran Khan for contempt of court, Dawn reported.
Khan, the chairman of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), has been accused of illegally receiving foreign funding. He has repeatedly failed to appear before the five-member ECP.
The ECP had previously issued bailable arrest warrants for Khan on September 14 over his failure to show up for a contempt of court proceeding. Those warrants were later suspended by the Islamabad High Court (IHC) after a petition from PTI.
The new arrest warrants were issued because of Khan's repeated failure to appear for the hearing and his failure to send a written apology to the ECP for his absence in court, according to Dawn. The ECP ordered Khan's arrest and that he be brought for a hearing on October 26.
PTI is planning to challenge the warrants in the IHC, according to Naeemul Haq, a party spokesperson.
