LAHORE: Police on Tuesday fired tear gas and used water cannons to disperse supporters of ousted Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan who gathered outside his residence here to prevent his arrest in the Toshakhana case.
Television footage showed police slowly approaching the Zaman Park residence Khan behind an armored vehicle that dispersed its followers with a water cannon.
A senior Islamabad police officer said his team came here to arrest Pakistan’s President Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) in the Toshakhana case.
Khan has been in the crosshairs for buying gifts including an expensive Graff wristwatch he received as prime minister at a discount from the state custodian called Toshakhana and selling them for a profit.
Clashes erupted between police and PTI workers when the former approached Khan’s residence to arrest him. His supporters threw stones at the police. Khan’s party employees and police officers were injured.
The party’s official Twitter account previously urged supporters and workers to gather outside the residence and “remain peaceful”.
A large number of PTI workers equipped with clubs were present outside the residence of the 70-year-old leader to resist the police action.
Police blocked all roads leading to the PTI President’s house by placing containers and riot personnel took position to launch the operation.
PTI senior leader Farukh Habib told reporters that no matter what, Imran Khan would not turn himself in to the police in bogus cases. “The arrest warrants in the case related to the threats against a female judge were suspended today by the Islamabad High Court. Let’s see what new warrants the police have brought with them now,” Habib said.
A member of Khan’s party was killed last Wednesday during a crackdown on his supporters who gathered outside his residence in Lahore, defying a government ban on gatherings in the city.
On Monday, Lahore Police booked Khan in a case related to the murder of PTI worker – Ali Bilal alias Zille Shah – in a traffic accident.
Earlier, Lahore police registered an FIR against Khan and 400 others for Shah’s murder. “The new FIR was registered against Imran Khan, Fawad Chaudhry, Dr Yasmine Rashid and a number of other PTI men for complicity in murder, concealment of facts and evidence related to the death of Zille Shah,” a senior police official told PTI.
He said police could arrest Khan and other FIR appointees after receiving instructions from the “top”. The PTI had accused police of murdering Shah after brutally torturing him on March 8.
This is the 81st FIR against Khan since the PML-N-led federal coalition came to power 11 months ago after overthrowing his government in a no-confidence vote.
Khan led a march of thousands of his supporters on Monday, a day after he canceled his party’s campaign rally following a ban on public gatherings in the provincial capital of Punjab.
Supporters of the former cricketer-turned-politician threw rose petals at a convoy taking him to the Data Darbar shrine.
Khan was ousted from power in April last year after losing a no-confidence vote, which he said was part of a US-led plot that targeted him over his independent foreign policy decisions on Russia, China and Afghanistan.
Since his ouster, Khan has called for immediate elections to oust what he called an “imported government” led by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.
Sharif maintained that elections will be held later this year once the parliament completes its five-year term.
Television footage showed police slowly approaching the Zaman Park residence Khan behind an armored vehicle that dispersed its followers with a water cannon.
A senior Islamabad police officer said his team came here to arrest Pakistan’s President Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) in the Toshakhana case.
Khan has been in the crosshairs for buying gifts including an expensive Graff wristwatch he received as prime minister at a discount from the state custodian called Toshakhana and selling them for a profit.
Clashes erupted between police and PTI workers when the former approached Khan’s residence to arrest him. His supporters threw stones at the police. Khan’s party employees and police officers were injured.
The party’s official Twitter account previously urged supporters and workers to gather outside the residence and “remain peaceful”.
A large number of PTI workers equipped with clubs were present outside the residence of the 70-year-old leader to resist the police action.
Police blocked all roads leading to the PTI President’s house by placing containers and riot personnel took position to launch the operation.
PTI senior leader Farukh Habib told reporters that no matter what, Imran Khan would not turn himself in to the police in bogus cases. “The arrest warrants in the case related to the threats against a female judge were suspended today by the Islamabad High Court. Let’s see what new warrants the police have brought with them now,” Habib said.
A member of Khan’s party was killed last Wednesday during a crackdown on his supporters who gathered outside his residence in Lahore, defying a government ban on gatherings in the city.
On Monday, Lahore Police booked Khan in a case related to the murder of PTI worker – Ali Bilal alias Zille Shah – in a traffic accident.
Earlier, Lahore police registered an FIR against Khan and 400 others for Shah’s murder. “The new FIR was registered against Imran Khan, Fawad Chaudhry, Dr Yasmine Rashid and a number of other PTI men for complicity in murder, concealment of facts and evidence related to the death of Zille Shah,” a senior police official told PTI.
He said police could arrest Khan and other FIR appointees after receiving instructions from the “top”. The PTI had accused police of murdering Shah after brutally torturing him on March 8.
This is the 81st FIR against Khan since the PML-N-led federal coalition came to power 11 months ago after overthrowing his government in a no-confidence vote.
Khan led a march of thousands of his supporters on Monday, a day after he canceled his party’s campaign rally following a ban on public gatherings in the provincial capital of Punjab.
Supporters of the former cricketer-turned-politician threw rose petals at a convoy taking him to the Data Darbar shrine.
Khan was ousted from power in April last year after losing a no-confidence vote, which he said was part of a US-led plot that targeted him over his independent foreign policy decisions on Russia, China and Afghanistan.
Since his ouster, Khan has called for immediate elections to oust what he called an “imported government” led by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.
Sharif maintained that elections will be held later this year once the parliament completes its five-year term.
