The police launched the “grand operation” at MrKhan’s Zaman Park residence. (File)
Lahore:
Over 10,000 armed Punjab police personnel launched a serious operation at former Pakistan prime minister Imran Khan’s residence in Lahore and arrested dozens of employees of his occasion and claimed to have seized weapons and petrol bombs, hours after he left for Islamabad to seem earlier than a courtroom listening to a corruption case towards him.
The police launched the “grand operation” at Mr Khan’s Zaman Park residence in Lahore and eliminated all camps, and barricades erected there by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf occasion activists to forestall his arrest within the Toshakhana case.
The 70-year-old PTI chief has been within the crosshairs for purchasing presents, together with an costly Graff wristwatch he had obtained because the premier at a reduced worth from the state depository known as Toshakhana, and promoting them for revenue.
During the operation, 61 employees of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf occasion had been arrested and about 10 PTI employees and three policemen had been injured.
Imran Khan’s residence remained a battlefield between his occasion employees and police and Rangers for 2 days earlier this week over his “arrest operation” within the case.
The PTI employees nonetheless succeeded in foiling his arrest try and the operation was halted on the Lahore High Court’s order earlier this week.
Inspector General Police Punjab Dr. Usman Anwar after the operation advised a press convention that earlier the police had stopped the operation at Zaman Park on LHC order and PSL match.
“However, the court didn’t stop us from taking action against those involved in attacking police. Today we launched an operation at 12 noon. We faced resistance from the PTI workers however we managed to control the situation and arrested 61 workers,” he stated.
The IGP stated that 20 rifles, together with Kalashnikov, and petrol bomb bottles have been recovered from Imran Khan’s residence.
Some bunkers had been additionally constructed within the Zaman Park space, he stated, including {that a} case will likely be registered towards Mr Khan on this regard.
He stated Imran Khan’s home had been raided after police bought search warrants.
During the operation, police allegedly tortured PTI employees and Mr Khan’s home staff.
Footages present police beating PTI employees after coming into Imran Khan’s residence.
The police, which claims that pictures had been fired upon them from inside, broke the principle gate and entrance partitions of Imran Khan’s home and searched the entire premises.
“Domestic staff of Mr Khan at Zaman Park has been brutally tortured by cops vandalising the house in sheer violation of Lahore High Court’s orders. Cook Safeer has been taken away by police after beating up driver Shaukat and sweeper Ishaq. Their personal belongings including cash and mobile phones have also been confiscated by the violent cops,” PTI senior chief Shireen Mazari stated.
Punjab caretaker authorities info minister Amir Mir stated the police operation was launched to clear the Zaman Park space.
“Zaman Park had become a no-go area. As many as 10,000 Punjab police took part in the operation to clear it. We had also reports that the members of banned organizations were also hissing there.” The cricketer-turned-politician, decrying the police operation, in a sequence of tweets stated: “It is now clear that, despite my having gotten bail in all my cases, the PDM govt intends to arrest me. Despite knowing their malafide intentions, I am proceeding to Islamabad and the court because I believe in rule of law. But ill intent of this cabal of crooks should be clear to all.” “Meanwhile, Punjab police have led an assault on my house in Zaman Park where Bushra Begum is alone. Under what law are they doing this? This is part of the London Plan where commitments were made to bring absconder Nawaz Sharif to power as quid pro quo for agreeing to one appointment.” Talking to Geo News, Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah alleged that the police had been fired upon from contained in the residence. He went on to say {that a} “no-go area” had been created outdoors the 70-year-old PTI chief’s home.
Mr Sanaullah additional revealed that fences had been erected to focus on the police.
He stated that each one “terrorists” current inside Zaman Park home had been apprehended, and claimed that cache of explosives, petrol bombs, and bomb-making supplies had been recovered from the positioning.
When requested if the federal government meant to arrest Imran Khan, Rana Sanaullah stated the PTI chief had already obtained bail earlier than being arrested. He additional clarified that the federal government wished him to seem in courtroom.
The minister maintained that the police had been unarmed, and clarified that that they had not entered the world the place Mr Khan’s spouse Bushra Bibi was current.
“Section 144 is imposed, you are kindly advised to disperse,” police stated in an announcement earlier than barging into Mr Khan’s residence.
Television footage confirmed police coming into Imran Khan’s eight-canal home after utilizing an excavator to deliver down the principle iron gate.
Imran Khan additionally tweeted the siege of Lahore was not about guaranteeing his look within the courtroom however geared toward imprisoning him and stopping him from main the PTI’s election marketing campaign.
Established in 1974, the Toshakhana is a division underneath the executive management of the Cabinet Division and shops treasured presents given to rulers, parliamentarians, bureaucrats, and officers by heads of different governments and states and international dignitaries.
Mr Khan was disqualified by the Election Commission of Pakistan in October final yr for not sharing particulars of the gross sales.
The election physique later filed a criticism with the district courtroom to punish him, underneath prison legal guidelines, for promoting the presents he had obtained as prime minister of the nation.
Imran Khan, who has vehemently denied these prices, is about to be indicted within the case.
Meanwhile, Islamabad police have issued a visitors advisory, stating that attributable to tight safety measures across the Judicial Complex in G-11, residents might face issue in visitors motion, resulting in inconvenience.
The Islamabad administration on Friday night time imposed Section 144 within the capital, prohibiting personal corporations, safety guards, or people from carrying weapons. Drivers should carry their car registration paperwork whereas driving.
The authorities had on Friday shifted the venue of the extra periods courtroom to a relatively safer Judicial Complex for the listening to of the case after the PTI raised safety considerations, Dawn reported.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV workers and is revealed from a syndicated feed.)
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