Imran Khan: Pakistan may witness more chaos today on May 19. Punjab police may soon launch a security operation to arrest the “terrorists” allegedly holed up in former prime minister Imran Khan’s residence.
A senior Punjab government official said that the Punjab police will send a delegation to search Imran Khan’s house in Lahore today. The government has accused the ex-PM of providing shelter to “terrorists” at his Zaman Park residence.
A large number of police personnel surrounded the house of Pakistan’s former prime minister Imran Khan in Lahore on Thursday as the government’s 24-hour deadline to hand over the ‘terrorists’ expired.
Eight people arrested, claims cop
Senior police officer Hasan Bhatti on Thursday claimed that they arrested eight people, suspected to be involved in the attacks on the army installations on May 9, from the Zaman Park area.
However, Imran Khan’s party PTI disputed the claim and said the police brought a bunch of arrested individuals to Zaman Park to prove that they had been taken into custody outside Imran’s residence.
The police officers are armed with heavy machinery and have taken positions near Zaman Park. Police have also blocked all roads leading to Khan’s residence by erecting barriers. Jammers have been placed in the area.
Police asked to remain vigilant
Citing sources, Geo News reported that the Inspector General (IG) of Punjab police and the capital city police officers have asked the police to remain “vigilant”.
On Wednesday, Punjab’s caretaker Information minister Amir Mir claimed that some “30 to 40” terrorists were hiding inside Khan’s Zaman Park residence and gave an ultimatum of 24 hours to the chief to hand them over or face stern action.
The minister said on Thursday that as the deadline expired the police may raid Zaman Park to arrest the terrorists, including Khan’s nephew Hassan Niazi, who is reportedly hiding there.
Imran Khan, meanwhile, asked the government to send the police team with search warrants as it would not object to it.
He has claimed that the decision to arrest him has been taken and he will be tried under the Pakistan Army Act and Official Secrets Act in connection with attacks on military installations. He said he would be kept in jail for 10 years under sedition charges.
Imran tweets ‘scenes outside my house’
On Wednesday, Khan shared a video of what he claimed were “scenes outside my house while I was addressing the nation”. In the video, a large contingent of police officers and dozens of police vehicles were seen moving in one direction.
In a series of tweets on Thursday, Khan demanded an immediate inquiry into the police firing on unarmed protesters. He claimed 25 people were killed and hundreds injured on May 6 and 7 in the police firing. “In France, despite protesters hurling petrol bombs at the police, not once were they fired upon by the police. Under the smokescreen of arson, which any independent investigation will show was pre-planned to justify the crackdown on PTI, there is no mention in the media discourse of the massive violations of our fundamental right to protest peacefully. And no mention of an inquiry into the killing of at least 25 peaceful protestors and wounding of around 600,” Khan said.
He further said: “The nation has been taken over by a bunch of crooks, criminals, duffers devoid of any ethics or morality. While the country sinks into its worst economic crisis, especially unprecedented inflation and unemployment, all those in power are concentrating on how to crush the biggest and the only federal party by unleashing a reign of terror. Time for all citizens to raise their voices before it’s too late.”
Earlier plan to arrest Imran thwarted
The police in March had stormed the Zaman Park residence of Khan to arrest him but strong resistance of his party workers thwarted that plan.
Following his address on Wednesday, Khan allowed the electronic and digital media representatives access to his residence to see for themselves that there were no terrorists inside Zaman Park.
The media people who visited the house, later reported that there were only domestic workers and some police officers inside the house.
Earlier on Wednesday, Khan tweeted: “Probably my last tweet before my next arrest. Police have surrounded my house”.
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