KARACHI, Dec 15: Judicial Magistrate (south) Asif Ahmed on Monday reissued bailable warrants for the arrest of former chief minister Dr Arbab Ghulam Rahim and other prosecution witnesses for not appearing in court to testify in a case pertaining to an alleged assault on Dr Rahim in the Sindh Assembly.

Agha Javed Pathan is being tried on charges of manhandling the ex-chief minister. The court adjourned the hearing till Dec 23.

Mr Pathan was arrested on April 9 on the charges of manhandling the former CM and a case (202/08) was registered against him at the Preedy police station under Sections 502, 452, 506-B 337-A and F of the Pakistan Penal Code.

Meanwhile, another judicial magistrate issued on Monday a bailable warrant for the arrest of the investigation officer of a murder case for not submitting a charge-sheet against three police constables, who were accused of committing the crime, despite a lapse of about nine months.

Earlier, the court had issued some 30 show-cause notices, directly as well as through his superiors, to the investigation officer since April 4 directing him to submit the charge-sheet. However, the IO failed to comply with the court order.

JM (central) Sohail Ahmed ordered the authorities concerned to produce in court the sub-inspector (IO) on Jan 5, the next date of hearing. The police constables, Mohammad Imran, Arif Hussain and Salman Farsi, had allegedly fired upon two youngsters, Zubair Khan and Mohammad Saqib, on March 21 in North Nazimabad town.