The Lahore High Court on Monday issued bailable arrest warrants for the Inspector General of Islamabad Police after the latter failed to appear before the court.
The police chief was told to appear before the court on September 18.
The warrants were issued by a single-member bench of the Lahore High Court led by Justice Mirza Waqas Rauf while hearing a contempt of court petition filed by former Punjab chief minister and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) President Chaudhry Parvez Elahi's wife Qaisara Elahi over the former's arrest from Lahore.
The court set the IGP's bail bonds at Rs50,000.
Meanwhile, the Punjab Police chief submitted a report sought by the court over Elahi's arrest from Lahore. The report deemed Elahi's arrest from Lahore as "legal and lawful". Conduct of two senior Punjab Police officers, Investigation DIG Imran Kishwar and Operation DIG Ali Nasir Rizvi as legal and innocent.
The lawyers for the petitioners asked the court for time to study the report.
The court had initiated contempt of court proceedings on an application filed by Elahi's representatives after the former Punjab chief minister was arrested from Lahore last month, even though the LHC had restrained authorities from arresting him in any case, including Maintenance of Public Order (MPO).
Profound scenes were witnessed as police officers dressed in civilian clothes intercepted Elahi's motorcade on Canal Road and then dragged him from his vehicle before shifting him to another vehicle and sped off towards Islamabad.
At the previous hearing of the case, the court had questioned the conduct of Punjab police, who did not resist the actions of their counterparts from Islamabad without any visible warrants or other cause and despite being under strict directions from the court.