QUETTA: In another relief for PTI Chairman Imran Khan, the Balochistan High Court on Friday suspended his non-billable warrants for two weeks.

A single-member bench comprising Justice Zaheeruddin suspended the warrants issued by a judicial magistrate on Thursday.

Insaf Lawyer Forum’s Iqbal Shah Advocate had filed a petition in the high court against the warrant. He pleaded that an FIR could not be registered at a police station in Quetta as the alleged crime did not occur within the limits of that police station. He pleaded with the court to quash the FIR against the PTI chairman.

The judge, after hearing the arguments, suspended the arrest warrants and fixed the petition for hearing. He also issued notices to the Balochistan police chief and the station house officer of the Bijli Road police station where the FIR was registered.

The case against Mr Khan was registered on the complaint of a citizen, Abdul Khalil Kakar, on March 6. He said the PTI chairman addressed the public from his Zaman Park residence in Lahore on March 5, in which he levelled “baseless allegations against the state institutions”.

The complaint invoked sections 124-A (sedition), 153-A (giving provocation with intent to cause a riot if rioting is committed; if not committed) and 505 (statements conducing to public mischief) of the Pakistan Penal Code. It also included Section 20 (Offences against the dignity of a natural person) of the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act 2016.

Published in Dawn, March 11th, 2023