ISLAMABAD: The Elec­tion Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has ordered the Islamabad Capital Police to arrest Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) chairman Imran Khan and present him before it on Sept 25.

In a letter written to the Islamabad SSP Operations on Friday, the commission said that Mr Khan was charged with contempt of the ECP under Section 103-A of the Representation of Peoples’ Act (Ropa), 1976. He was issued a show-cause notice to appear before the commission on Sept 14, but did not do so. The commission decided to issue bailable warrants.

According to the letter signed by the commission’s additional director general (law) Malik Mujtaba Ahmad, the police were “hereby directed to arrest Mr Imran Khan Niazi” and produce him before the ECP on Sept 25.

The Islamabad advocate general has also been asked to appear before the commission on Sept 25 to conduct contempt proceedings.

“As the matter pertains to contempt proceedings under Section 103 of the Ropa, 1976 read with Article 204 of the Constitution, a notice is hereby given to you so that you may appear and conduct the proceedings before the commission,” according to a letter issued to the advocate general by the commission.

The ECP also released a written order passed a day earlier, which says: “From the discussion by the learned counsel on either side, it is informed that the respondent is available in the country today, but yet he did not care to appear. It seems that every order of the commission is violated day in and day out. The commission is constrained to and hereby issues bailable warrant of arrest in the sum of Rs100,000 with two sureties under Section 76 read with Section 86 of the Code of Criminal Procedure.”

Published in Dawn, September 16th, 2017