LAHORE: Following the police’s failure in arresting PTI Chairman Imran Khan, a heavy contingent of Punjab Rangers has arrived at the former prime minister’s Zaman Park Lahore residence to implement court orders.
Reports said that the police and rangers have reached the residence of the PTI leader at Zaman Park. The development came after police fired teargas in the area to disperse the PTI workers.
On the other hand, hospital sources said that at least 54 cops and eight citizens have been injured in the clashes that have been on going since yesterday.
PTI supporters clashed repeatedly with police overnight while he remained holed up in his Zaman Park residence, defying attempts to arrest him. Meanwhile, the law enforcers had also arrested the PTI workers.
Police fought pitched battles with supporters of Khan’s PTI near his residence throughout the night, firing fusillades of teargas and dodging rocks thrown by angry crowds.
The police action to implement court orders started on Tuesday when a heavy contingent surrounded the area, however, a charged crowd denied the law enforcers any opportunity to arrest their leader.
Meanwhile, Islamabad High Court (IHC) Chief Justice Amir Farooq has directed the PTI to address the objections raised by the Registrar Office, observing “whatever is happening in Lahore is a result of PTI’s actions”.
The PTI had approached the IHC challenging the arrest warrants on security grounds. Khan’s counsel filed the plea on Tuesday and requested the court to fix the matter before a bench for a hearing the same day.
The court office, however, objected that the petition did not have the deposed prime minister’s biometric verification.
When CJ Amir Farooq took up the plea today he asked the PTI counsel if it had addressed the objections on the petition.
At this, PTI lawyer Khawaja Haris replied that whatever is happening in Lahore is known to the court.
“Whatever is happening is a result of your actions,” responded Justice Farooq.
The IHC CJ also told the counsel that the plea was yet to be fixed and that he will hear it once it is fixed.
Justice Farooq also asked about what happened on the relief that the court had given. The court orders were not implemented we will see what result it would have, he added.
The CJ remarked that the IHC’s Registrar Office had raised minor objections to the petition. He then stated that he was removing two objections related to the biometric verification and signature of the petitioner.
“There is an objection on tickets that can be removed in half an hour,” said the IHC CJ. However, in the order, the court asked the lawyers to address the objections within three days and adjourned the hearing.
After the deployment of Rangers, the PTI chairman, in a series of tweets today, claimed that the “real intent is to abduct and assassinate him” as the police have “now resorted to live firing”.
“My question to the Establishment, to those who claim they are ‘neutral’: Is this your idea of neutrality, Rangers directly confronting unarmed protestors and leadership of the largest political party when their leader is facing an illegal warrant and case already in court and when govt of crooks trying to abduct and possibly murder him?”
Khan in a video shared on PTI’s Twitter account shortly before dawn, sitting in front of Pakistan and the party flags at a desk decorated with spent teargas canisters. “I am telling the entire nation today that they are ready once again, they’re going to come again,” he said.
“They will teargas our people and do other such things, but you should know that they have no justification to do so.”
“The way the police attack our people… there is no precedent for this,” Khan said.
“Water canons, teargas… they shelled inside the house where there were servants and women.”
The PTI chief claimed that he was not appearing at the F-8 Katcheri as terrorists had targeted the facility twice.
“They know I did not appear because of security, now they are preparing again,” said the PTI chief.
The former prime minister also claimed that in order to “avoid anarchy”, he had signed an undertaking and his counsel Ishtiaq A Khan tried presenting the surety to the Islamabad police deputy inspector general (DIG) sent to arrest him.
“And as per code of criminal procedure’s section 76 if a surety bond is given to arresting officer then he cannot make the arrest,” said the PTI chief.
He further claimed that after this there was no reason for the police to arrest him. However, the PTI chief alleged that the DIG refused to take the bond on purpose as his arrest was part of the “London plan”.
“In the London plan, it has been decided to put Imran Khan in jail, defeat PTI, and finish all cases of Nawaz Sharif. Putting me in jail is part of the London plan. This has no relation with the law and I have not committed any crime,” said the PTI chief.
Meanwhile, Punjab Inspector General of Police (IGP) Dr Usman Anwar warned PTI activists of tougher action if they continued to resort to violence in their attempt to prevent the police from arresting their leader Imran Khan.
He said the violent protesters would be taken to task and apprehended with the help of CCTV footage as damaging public properties and setting police vehicles on fire came under the terrorism act and these protesters would be tried under that act.
The IGP said Islamabad police under the leadership of DIG Operations ICT Shahzad Bukhari reached Lahore to arrest former prime minister and PTI chairman Imran Khan for compliance with the non-bailable arrest warrant issued against him by additional sessions judge Zafar iqbal on Tuesday.
Read more: Protests erupt in major cities after PTI workers, police lock horns over Imran’s arrest
