Scuffles break out in Lahore as police move to arrest ex-PM Khan

ISLAMABAD: Several people were injured in clashes between police and supporters of former Prime Minister Imran Khan in Lahore as law enforcers attempted to arrest the ex-premier on Tuesday, with Khan urging his followers to “come out.”  

The development comes a day after an Islamabad court issued Khan’s non-bailable arrest warrants in a case related to the sale of state gifts. A six-member team of Islamabad police is currently visiting Lahore to arrest Khan.  

Television footage from outside Khan’s Zaman Park residence in Lahore showed the Punjab police in anti-riot gear backing their Islamabad counterparts and clearing the road of Khan’s supporters.  

Aerial shots showed heavy presence of law enforcement personnel around Khan’s residence and tear gas billowing from shells fired inside his home. Charged supporters of Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party could also be seen pelting stones at the police, with a number of them being arrested in the process.  

“The police have come to take me (to jail)…If something happens to me or I go to jail or I am killed, you have to prove that this nation will (continue to) struggle even without Imran Khan,” Khan said in televised comments.  

Shah Mahmood Qureshi, a senior PTI figure and Khan aide, urged the law enforcers to not “spoil the situation.”  

“Don’t spoil the situation. We don’t want bloodshed. You should come and meet with me. Talk to me,” Qureshi told reporters in Lahore.  

“Show me the warrants. I will speak to my chairman, consult lawyers, and we’ll try to find a way.” 

Shibli Faraz, another PTI member, said Khan’s arrest warrants in the Toshakhana (state repository) case have been challenged in the Islamabad High Court.  

“The hearing is expected after a while,” said Faraz, who was present on the IHC premises.  

Apart from the Toshakhana case, the ex-premier has been booked in over 70 different cases on various charges, including blasphemy, terrorism and sedition, since being ousted from power last April. He has been avoiding arrest in all the cases by seeking relief from various courts.  

“Our six-member police team is already in Lahore to arrest the former prime minister as per the court orders,” Taqi Jawad, an Islamabad police spokesperson, told Arab News on Tuesday.  

“We have been following the legal procedure,” he said, adding it was the police’s responsibility to act on court orders.  

Jawad declined to give any specific details about when or how the police wanted to arrest the former prime minister from his Zaman Park residence in Lahore. Khan’s supporters have erected barriers outside his home and set up makeshift camps to stop law enforcement agencies from detaining him.  

In the case involving the sale of state gifts, a district court on Monday restored the former prime minister’s non-bailable arrest warrants due to his continuous absence from the court.  

Islamabad High Court Chief Justice Aamer Farooq also directed Khan to appear before the court on March 13 in the case, but the ex-PM failed to comply while citing security reasons.  

The court rejected Khan’s exemption plea and directed the police to present him in court on March 18.  

“We will be following the court orders to ensure the accused’s presence in the court,” the police spokesperson said.