Pakistan's top election body indicts Imran Khan, his former aide Fawad Chaudhry in contempt case

Islamabad: Pakistan's top election body on Wednesday indicted jailed former prime minister Imran Khan and his ex-information minister Fawad Chaudhry in a contempt case.

Khan, 71, is the founding chairman of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) and Chaudhry, a senior former member of his party.

The two leaders were booked in 2022 for using foul language against the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) and Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja.

A four-member panel of the ECP conducted the proceedings at the high-security Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi, where both Khan and Chaudhry have been incarcerated in different cases.

The two leaders were indicted on the charges of insulting the electoral body and the chief election commissioner. Both were present in the courtroom when the charges were read and they denied the allegations mentioned in the charge sheet.

After the indictment, the panel adjourned the hearing on the contempt case till January 16.

The indictment comes after several delays in the case which was first being heard in the ECP building but the police refused to present Khan for indictment due to security reasons, forcing the commission on December 6 to shift the hearing to the Adiala Jail.

Khan was ousted through a vote of no-confidence in April 2022. More than 150 cases have been registered against him since his ouster from power.