Pakistan’s former premier Imran Khan is requesting the courts to hear his cases in a high-security judicial complex in the country’s capital after he skipped a lower court proceeding where he would have been formally indicted.
(Bloomberg) — Pakistan’s former premier Imran Khan is requesting the courts to hear his cases in a high-security judicial complex in the country’s capital after he skipped a lower court proceeding where he would have been formally indicted.
The legal tussles over Khan’s appearance in various court cases adds to the political turmoil that has gripped the South Asian nation since the former cricket star was ousted from power in April last year. The government is also grappling with an economic crisis and is racing to secure bailout funds to avoid a default.
Khan’s lawyer Khawaja Harris said applications have been filed at Islamabad and Lahore high courts seeking to ensure the lower courts hear his cases in a more secure judicial complex and provide him with adequate protection.
“This lower court isn’t safe,” Harris told Bloomberg News by phone. “If they want to hear his cases, it has to be held at a secured, protected premises.”
His lawyers have repeatedly warned of threats to his life, citing it as a key reason for him to miss court proceedings. In November, Khan, 70, was shot in the leg during a rally in central Punjab province.
Meanwhile, two lower court issued non-bailable warrants ordering police to produce Khan in courts on March 18 and 29 in cases where he is accused of hiding earnings from state gifts and threatening a female judge at a public rally, according to Khan lawyers. Khan led an election rally in a bullet-proof SUV in Punjab’s capital Lahore later in the day.
Khan has been skipping court proceedings since February when a judge had announced plans to lay out charges against him for concealing earnings from selling state gifts. The judge last month issued a non-bailable arrest warrant to compel him to attend. Courts in Pakistan cannot frame formal charges if the accused is not present.
A High Court in Islamabad eventually suspended the warrant on Khan’s request last week and ordered him to show up in the lower court after police failed to arrest him at his home in Punjab and supporters vowed to take to the streets to protect him.
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The charge stems from the Election Commission that in October disqualified Khan from holding public office for allegedly hiding money from selling gifts received from foreign dignitaries and world leaders when he was prime minister.
The Election Commission’s investigation found Khan bought the gifts on concession prices from the state treasury. His purchases included one Graff and six Rolex watches assessed to be valued at $354,714 and jewelery worth $148,039. Some of them were sold in local markets, local media reported.
The indictment could trigger more street protests and prove to be a distraction for Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif whose government is racing to secure bailout loans from the International Monetary Fund. Khan is the most popular politician in Pakistan, an opinion survey showed last week, and his rallies have drawn tens of thousands of supporters.
Sharif has become deeply unpopular as voters blame his coalition for the economic crisis. The Pakistani rupee has plummeted to new lows and inflation is hovering at a record high.
Sharif’s government has raised energy prices and taxes and is racing to meet other conditions to revive a loan with the IMF. They need to avoid a default that can make borrowing costs higher and cut off market access to credit.
–With assistance from Ismail Dilawar.
(Updates with court warrants and Khan’s rally in sixth paragraph)
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