An anti-terrorism court in Quetta issued on Thursday an arrest warrant for PTI chief Imran Khan in the senior Supreme Court lawyer, Abdul Raazaq Shar, murder case.

The former ruling party’s lawyers challenged the decision in the Balochistan High Court (BHC).

Shar was shot dead by unidentified assailants near Alamo Chowk on Airport Road on June 06. The lawyer received 15 bullet injuries on his body and died on the spot, according to the police.

Two days later, the police booked Khan in the case on the complaint of the lawyer’s son.

The murdered lawyer, Shar, had filed a constitutional petition against the former PM in the BHC, seeking proceedings against the former premier under Article 6 (high treason) of the Constitution.

BHC Chief Justice Naeem Afghan and Justice Aamir Nawaz Rana hear the PTI petition.

Lawyer Syed Iqbal Shah contended that his client, Khan, has already got pre-arrest bail from the IHC. The former premier’s legal team demanded that the warrant should “immediately” be cancelled.

Later, the court rejected the PTI’s petition.

The investigation into the murder of Shar was under way, the BHC said, and added that a joint investigation team has been formed by the government in the murder case.

“In order to investigate in a transparent manner, the case should not be affected,” the court said.

A day after the murder, the government accused the PTI chief of being behind the killing of Shar.

“This is not an ordinary incident. Abdul Razzaq Shar was targeted because he was pursuing a treason case against Imran Khan,” Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Interior and Legal Affairs Attaullah Tarar told a press conference in Islamabad on June 07.

He alleged that it was a message to all lawyers pursuing cases against Khan.

In reaction to the media talk, PTI spokesperson Raoof Hassan accused PM Shehbaz and Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah of being behind the murder and sought their resignation.

The PTI also urged the CJP to take notice of the murder of the lawyer and described the government official’s presser as an attempt to implicate Khan in “another fake case”.