by Press Trust of IndiaA large number of Punjab Police personnel surrounded the house of former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan in Lahore on Thursday and may launch a security operation any time to arrest ‘terrorists’ allegedly holed up in his residence. Hand it over to them.
A police crackdown on Khan’s Zaman Park residence is expected soon after the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief failed to meet a deadline to hand over terrorists, the caretaker Punjab government says.
Senior police officer Hasan Bhatti on Thursday claimed that they have arrested eight people from Zaman Park area who are suspected to be involved in the May 9 attack on military installations.
Khan’s party disputed the claim, saying that the police brought a group of arrested persons to Zaman Park to prove that they were detained outside their leader’s residence.
Police officers equipped with heavy machinery have taken up positions near Zaman Park. The police have also blocked all roads leading to Khan’s residence by erecting barriers. Jammers have been installed in the area.
Quoting sources, Geo News reported that the Inspector General (IG) of Punjab Police and the capital city police officials have asked the police to remain “vigilant”.
On Wednesday, Punjab’s acting information minister Aamir Mir claimed that some “30 to 40” terrorists were hiding inside Khan’s Zaman Park residence and gave the chief a 24-hour ultimatum to hand them over or face stern action .
The minister said on Thursday that when the deadline expires, the police may raid Zaman Park to arrest terrorists, including Khan’s nephew Hasan Niazi, who is reportedly hiding there.
Meanwhile, Khan asked the government to send the police team with the search warrant as he would have no objection to it.
He has claimed that a decision has been taken to arrest him and he will be tried under the Pakistan Army Act and the Official Secrets Act in connection with the attack on military installations. He would be jailed for 10 years on charges of treason, he said.
On Wednesday, Khan shared a video in a tweet which he claimed showed “visuals from outside my house when I was addressing the nation”. In the video, a large contingent of police officers and dozens of police vehicles are seen moving in one direction.
In a series of tweets on Thursday, Khan demanded an immediate probe into police firing on unarmed protesters which he claimed left 25 dead and hundreds injured on May 6 and 7.
“In France, despite protesters throwing petrol bombs at the police, not once were shots fired by the police. Beneath the smoke of arson, which any independent investigation would reveal was the pretext to justify the crackdown on PTI. There is no mention in the media discourse of the rampant violation of our fundamental right to protest peacefully and no investigation into the killing of at least 25 peaceful protestors and injuries to nearly 600,” Khan said. he said.
He further said: “The nation has been taken over by a bunch of scoundrels, criminals, fools devoid of any morals or ethics. While the country is sinking into its worst economic crisis, especially unprecedented inflation and unemployment, all those in power People are focusing on how to crush the biggest and only federal party by unleashing a reign of terror. Time has come for all citizens to raise their voice before it is too late.”
In his video address from his Zaman Park residence on Wednesday, Khan said Pakistan was heading towards an impending disaster and could face a situation like East Pakistan.
He said, “I am having a scary dream that the country is heading towards an imminent disaster.”
Rejecting the Punjab government’s claim that around 40 terrorists are holed up in his Lahore home, Khan said the government should have legitimately searched the house after obtaining a search warrant as the presence of terrorists in their own Life was also in danger.
“But don’t use this as an excuse to crack down on PTI, the country’s largest political party,” he said.
“It is high time that the powers that be should reconsider sensibly, otherwise the country may face a situation like East Pakistan,” he said.
Police had raided Khan’s Zaman Park residence in March to arrest him, but strong resistance from his party workers foiled that plan.
After his address, Khan allowed representatives of electronic and digital media to visit his residence to see for themselves whether there were any terrorists inside Zaman Park.
Media persons who visited the house later reported that only domestic servants and a few police officers were inside the house.
Earlier on Wednesday, Khan had tweeted, “Probably my last tweet before my next arrest. Police have surrounded my house.”
Violent protests followed Khan’s arrest on 9 May. His party workers vandalized a dozen military installations, including Jinnah House (the home of the Lahore Corps Commander), Mianwali Airbase and the ISI building in Faisalabad. The Army Headquarters (GHQ) in Rawalpindi was also attacked by the mob for the first time.
Police put the death toll in the violent clashes at 10, while Khan’s party claimed 40 of its workers were killed in firing by security personnel.
In his first public reaction to the recent incidents of violence, Pakistan’s army chief General Asim Munir on Wednesday vowed to bring to justice all those “responsible for bringing shame to the country on May 9” and said such “tragic events” will never happen. be allowed again at any cost.
On Monday, top military officials vowed to bring to justice the arsonists who attacked civilian and military installations through trials under the country’s relevant laws, including the Pakistan Army Act and the Official Secrets Act.
Khan was ousted from power in April last year after losing a no-confidence vote in his leadership, which he alleged was part of a US-led conspiracy targeting him because of his independent foreign policy decisions on Russia, China and Afghanistan. was part of.