Pak court issues arrest warrant for ex-PM Sharif

A Pakistani court issued an arrest warrant for ousted Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif after he failed to appear before the court over anti-corruption allegations, local media said yesterday, but he can avoid arrest by paying bail.

In Pakistan, "bailable arrest warrants" often act as a warning to deter absences from court, but a judge can later issue non-bailable warrants that are more serious and could see Sharif arrested when he returns to Pakistan.

Sharif missed the hearing as he is undertaking a religious pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia, Dawn and other English-language newspapers reported. Sharif had spent previous weeks tending to his wife in London, where she is receiving cancer treatment, reported Reuters.

Sharif faces three separate corruption charges from the National Accountability Bureau (NAB), an anti-corruption body which has its own courts. Sharif's two sons and his daughter Maryam, who is viewed as Sharif's heir-apparent, are also facing NAB trials.

Sharif, 67, resigned in July after the Supreme Court disqualified him from holding office over an undeclared source of income, but the veteran leader maintains his grip on the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) party.

The Sharifs have called the corruption proceedings against them a conspiracy, hinting at intervention by the powerful military, but opponents have hailed it as a rare example of the rich and powerful being held accountable. The army denies playing a role.

Meanwhile, Pakistan's election commission yesterday warned Opposition leader Imran Khan to be careful in his choice of words in future after accepting an apology from him for his scandalous remarks against the top poll body.

Cricketer-turned-politician Khan appeared before the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) yesterday in two contempt cases, about two weeks after non-bailable arrest warrant issue against him with direction to appear before it on October 26, reported PTI.

Though, the Islamabad High Court last week suspended the non-bailable arrest warrant still Khan appeared before the five-member ECP bench led by Chief Election Commissioner retired Justice Sardar Muhammad Raza.

The ECP had issued the contempt notice to 64-year-old Khan on January 24 over his scandalous remarks about the commission.