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Pakistan police attempt to execute arrest warrant for former PM Imran Khan – JURIST

Pakistani police Sunday attempted to execute an arrest warrant for Imran Khan following his failure to attend court on charges of “receiving prohibited funds.” Police attempted to arrest Khan at his home in Lahore but were told the former Prime Minister was “not present in the residence.”In October 2022, Khan was found guilty by the Election Commission of Pakistan of illegally retaining and selling state gifts from foreign dignitaries. Khan, however, failed to attend a hearing at an anti-graft court to face charges brought against him by the Pakistani Federal Investigation Agency.While attempting to carry out the arrest, many of Khan’s supporters appeared at his residence in Lahore. Islamabad Police threatened via Twitter that “Legal action will be taken against those obstructing the execution of court orders.” as they “try [their] best to maintain law and order”. Police were informed by leaders of Khan’s political party, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), that Khan was “not present at the residence”. One of these leaders, Shibili Faraz, has since been accused of “misrepresentation” regarding Khan’s location, as the police stated that legal action will be taken against the PTI leader. They ended their statement by ensuring that the court order against Imran Khan will be implemented by March 7.Khan was removed from his position as Prime Minister by Parliament in April 2022 following allegations of mismanaging the economy and Pakistan’s foreign policy. He remains Chairman and prominent member of the political party he founded, PTI, which shared on Twitter amid Khan’s attempted arrest: “You can restrict Imran Khan’s speech but you can’t stop him from our lives. His ideology and his words take root in our minds and hearts!”