A top court in Pakistan on Friday suspended the non-bailable arrest warrant issued against ousted prime minister Imran Khan in a case of hate speech against state institutions after his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party filed a petition against the move.

The non-bailable arrest warrants were issued against Khan on Thursday on behalf of a citizen for "spreading hate" against state institutions and their offices following his recent speech.

Khan’s party filed a petition in the Balochistan High Court (BHC) against the orders of a judicial magistrate in Quetta, urging it to cancel the arrest warrant and also quash the First Information Report (FIR) filed against him at a police station in Quetta, capital of Balochistan.

BHC’s Justice Zaheer-ud-Din Kakar suspended the arrest warrant and adjourned the hearing for two weeks after issuing notices to the Balochistan inspector general of police, director of the investigation, senior superintendent (legal), the station house officer, and the complainant.

The judicial magistrate had ordered the police to arrest Khan, 70, and present him before the court.

This case is the latest of more than 76 cases filed against Khan since his removal from office in April 2022 through a no-trust move.

It was filed after Khan on Sunday made a blistering attack against the establishment of the country following a botched attempt by police to arrest him from his Zaman Park residence in Lahore in the Toshakhana case.

Khan has been in the crosshairs for buying gifts, including an expensive Graff wristwatch he had received as the premier at a discounted price from the state depository called Toshakhana, and selling them for profit.

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