The Pakistani police, on Wednesday, changed the arrest of the former Prime Minister, Imran Khan, who confirmed that it was a political conspiracy, after violent clashes with hundreds of his supporters at night.
AFP correspondents and eyewitnesses, who were near Khan’s house in the luxurious Zaman Park suburb of Lahore, said that the security forces had been seeking for hours to arrest the former prime minister, before withdrawing after clearing barriers and checkpoints.
And an order issued by the Lahore High Court, seen by AFP, asked the police, on Wednesday, to “end the process immediately and withdraw” pending the outcome of a hearing in Islamabad over the arrest warrant against Khan.
Khan’s party, Tehreek-e-Insaf, wrote on its Twitter account, “The people confronted the police forces and guards who were sent to harm Imran Khan.”
On Tuesday night, Khan’s supporters confronted the police who came to arrest the former president.
After 26 hours of worst state terrorism, these were the conditions, accept that you have lost, this madness will not break, will not bend, will not retreat from its right.
#imrankhanPTI pic.twitter.com/DWZZ4Yi9AT
– Farid Malik (@StaunchInsafi) March 15, 2023
Police fired tear gas and stones were pelted by angry crowds.
Khan was ousted in April 2022 under a no-confidence warrant and has since faced several legal measures. He remains very popular and hopes to return to power in legislative elections scheduled for October.
“The reason (for this measure) is not because I have broken a law. They want me in jail so that I cannot participate in the elections,” Khan told AFP.
arraignment
The former prime minister said, “This arrest by force has nothing to do with the rule of law,” denouncing the “law of the jungle.”
It is the second time this month that the police have been sent to his home to carry out an arrest warrant.
The former prime minister has escaped several warrants to appear in court, citing security concerns. His lawyers say he was released on bail.
“The party leader has not been released on bail in this particular case,” Islamabad police spokesman Muhammad Taqi Jawad told AFP.
Khan’s legal team has been asked to approach a lower court to request the suspension of the arrest warrant against their client. The defense team also has to pledge that Khan will appear in person at Saturday’s hearing.
Imran Khan, 70, has been summoned to court on charges of not making public all the diplomatic gifts he received during his tenure, and making money by reselling some of them.
In the morning, videos circulating on social media, largely posted by Khan’s party, showed several bloodied supporters and others scrambling to avoid tear gas.
A party official tweeted that there was an “urgent need” for first aid kits.
“a play”
“The way the police are attacking our people is unprecedented,” Dan Khan said. “It is clear that the arrest request was nothing more than a play, because the real goal is kidnapping and killing,” he said.
Since his overthrow, Imran Khan has been putting pressure on the government of his successor, Shehbaz Sharif, by ramping up large gatherings. He also dissolved the two regional councils controlled by his party in an attempt to hold early elections, which the government rejects.
Sharif told reporters Wednesday that Khan considers himself “above the law”. “It defies all the courts of the country. It is pure provocation,” he said.
In November, Khan was shot in the leg during a political rally and said that an assassination attempt was made against him by Shahbaz Sharif.
These events are taking place in a tense atmosphere, as the country of more than 220 million people is facing serious economic difficulties with accelerating inflation, insufficient foreign exchange reserves and stalemate in negotiations with the International Monetary Fund.
The security situation is also deteriorating with a series of bloody attacks targeting police forces attributed to the Pakistani Taliban.
