An Islamabad court dismissed ex-Pakistan premier Imran Khan's plea to cancel the non-bailable arrest warrant on Monday. The warrant was issued against him last week.
Khan's Persistent Non-Appearance in Court
Judge Zafar Iqbal said that despite repeated orders, Khan has failed to appear in court, including on Monday.
"The accused has not surrendered himself before the court till yet and no application for his personal appearance for today is annexed with the [court] record. The accused has not appeared in court for ensuring his appearance in the trial in future, therefore, the application is rejected," the court order said.
The ruling is considered a big setback to the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief who evaded arrest on Sunday after the police failed to find him at his residence in Lahore.
The Islamabad district and sessions court's latest ruling means that Khan can be arrested anytime now unless the Lahore High Court (LHC) rules in his favor.
The cricketer-turned-politician has already approached the LHC to quash Islamabad's court order.
Allegations Against Khan in the Toshakhana Case
Khan is accused of giving false information about the gifts he received from foreign dignitaries when he was Pakistan's prime minister from 2018 to 2022.
Last year, National Assembly Speaker Raja Pervaiz Ashraf filed a complaint against the former PM, alleging he swindled 52 gifts from the Toshakhana state gift repository.
Subsequently, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) found Khan guilty of hiding information in his declaration of assets regarding the items, eventually barring him from holding office for five years.