The Islamabad High Court has suspended the non-bailable arrest warrants issued for PTI chief Imran Khan till tomorrow (Saturday).

District and Sessions judge Zafar Iqbal had issued the warrant on Monday when Khan failed to appear before the court in the Toshakhana case against him.

The PTI later challenged the warrant before a single bench of the Islamabad High Court, which upheld the sessions court’s decision to issue the warrant.

However, PTI appealed the verdict before the Islamabad High Court on Friday.

The arrest warrant in the Toshakhana case was at the heart of a major standoff on Tuesday and Wednesday between PTI workers and the police who wanted to execute the warrant and arrest Khan from his Zaman Park residence in Lahore.

Imran urged that the trial court’s order be set aside and his arrest warrants be suspended “till the final disposal of the petition” so that the PTI chief could appear in court on March 18.

The former prime minister has been resisting arrest in the Toshakhana case. Hundreds of his supporters have been outside his residence over the past many days trying to prevent the police from arresting their party leaders.

Moreover, he would appear in the Lahore High Court on Friday and provide assurance that he was ready to appear before the Islamabad sessions court on March 18.

“Imran Khan will come to LHC himself and assure the judge that he is ready to go to the Islamabad court. An undertaking has also been given in this regard,” PTI leader Fawad Chaudhry told reporters outside the court.

Fawad demanded that the PTI chief should be given a “safe passage” to appear in the Islamabad sessions court.

He claimed that the arrest warrant issued for his party leader was to ensure his presence in court. “Imran Khan’s arrest is not the motive of the warrant. Only ensuring his presence is.”

Separately, PTI leader Musarrat Cheema said that the PTI chief will leave for the high court at 3pm.

More to follow