An Islamabad district and sessions court has issued arrest warrants for former Sindh governor Imran Ismail in connection with the May 2022 PTI Long March vandalism case. The court directed authorities to arrest and present him before the court without delay.
Judicial Magistrate Mubashir Hassan issued the non-bailable warrants after Ismail failed to appear despite being nominated in a case registered at Bara Kahu Police Station. He is accused of involvement in rioting, damage to public property, and violating Section 144 during the protest.
The court also confirmed that the next hearing will take place on July 24, and failure to produce the accused may result in further legal action. The vandalism case is linked to violent episodes during PTI’s Long March, which had ended in Islamabad but led to widespread clashes and arrests across the country.
Authorities had filed dozens of cases against PTI leaders and workers, particularly in Islamabad and Rawalpindi, over allegations of setting fire to Metro bus stations, resisting police, and attacking public property.
While several key figures, including PTI Chairman Imran Khan, Zartaj Gul, and others, have already been acquitted, Imran Ismail remains among the few still facing prosecution. His legal team has yet to issue a statement in response to the court order.
The case remains part of a broader legal crackdown on former PTI leadership amid heightened political and judicial tensions in Pakistan.