Islamabad authorities, including the Ministry of Interior and the city's police, have reportedly informed the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) that presenting Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan before the commission poses a "security risk."
This development comes just a day before Imran Khan is scheduled to be produced in relation to contempt of the commission charges.
The ECP had previously issued production orders for Imran Khan and Fawad Chaudhary, a former PTI member, who are both set to be indicted on October 24. However, in the case of Fawad, the commission also issued bailable warrants of arrest and directed the relevant Inspector General of Police (IGP) to serve them.
During a hearing on October 11, Shoaib Shaheen, who appeared before a four-member bench of the commission, argued that Imran Khan's imprisonment made it impossible for him to attend the proceedings, requesting a production order for the PTI chairman.
The ECP's order stated that the matter had been pending since August and needed to be resolved promptly. As Imran Khan is incarcerated in Adiala Jail, his personal appearance is deemed essential. Therefore, the ECP issued a production order for Imran Khan to appear before the commission on October 24 at 10 am, with his return to jail immediately following the proceedings.
The commission's bench directed the office to relay these instructions to the superintendent of Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi for necessary arrangements, and both the IGP of Islamabad and the IGP of Punjab were tasked with ensuring comprehensive security measures for Imran Khan's production before the ECP.
