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Pakistan’s ex-PM Imran Khan goes missing as Islamabad police reach Lahore to arrest him
Imran Khan, Pakistan’s most famous Khan, does a disappearing act as Pakistan police reach his residence to arrest him in the Toshakhana case.
Islamabad Police, along with their counterparts from Punjab Police, reached Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chairman Imran Khan’s Zaman Park residence in Lahore on Sunday, March 5, to take him into custody for his persistent absences from Toshakhana court hearings.
Last week, a district and sessions court in Islamabad issued non-bailable arrest warrants for the ousted prime minister over his continuous absence before the judge in the Toshakhana case.
The police team led by a Superintendent of Police (SP) went to the room in Khan’s Zaman Park residence where Khan was expected to be, but he was not there.
Meanwhile, senior PTI leader Fawad Chaudhry has urged all PTI supporters to converge outside Imran’s Lahore residence. While addressing the media outside Zaman Park, Chaudhry stated that the purpose of calling Imran to these courts was to “attempt yet another attack on him”.
“They want that he (Imran) comes to court and the terrorists get a chance to take Imran Khan’s life,” Chaudhry said, alleging that the government was behind the assassination plot.
He also said that both the federal and the caretaker Punjab governments wanted “to cause anarchy so that polls can be avoided” and “we are dealing with the legal matters as per law in the courts”.
Chaudhry also stated that if the PTI chief is arrested, nationwide peaceful protests would be called “the likes of which nobody has ever seen before”.
Earlier, Chaudhry warned that “any attempt to arrest Imran Khan will seriously worsen the situation”. He also urged the government to “act sensibly” and “not push Pakistan into further crisis”, he stressed, stating that the arrest would be “illegal”.
The court warrant is only for attendance,” he said, “Islamabad police’s insistence on arrest is illegal.”
PTI vice chairman Shah Mahmood Qureshi has also told reporters outside Imran’s Lahore residence that while Islamabad police’s notice has been received, “there are no orders for arrest in it”.
On the other hand, the Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) police have issued a statement on Twitter stating that they are acting as per court orders and “all operations are being completed with the cooperation of Lahore Police”.
“Legal action will be taken against those obstructing the execution of court orders,” the police said. “Police will transfer Imran Khan to Islamabad under their protection. Law is equal for all,” the statement added.
Scores of PTI supporters have gathered outside Khan’s Zaman Park residence with the intent to disrupt the arrest procedure. At the time of the filing of this story, the police were still present outside Khan’s residence, surrounded by scores of PTI workers.
