More trouble for Imran Khan: Police registers terrorism case against ex-Pak PM
Islamabad: More trouble for former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan. Pakistan police on Sunday registered a terror case against Imran Khan and more than a dozen PTI leaders for indulging in vandalism, attacking security personnel and creating unrest outside a court complex here ahead of a court hearing in a graft case involving the ousted prime minister.
Clashes erupted outside the Islamabad Judicial Complex on Saturday when Khan arrived in Islamabad from Lahore to attend the much-awaited hearing in the Toshakhan case.
More than 25 security personnel were injured during the confrontation between the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) workers and the police, prompting Additional District and Sessions Judge Zafar Iqbal to adjourn the hearing to the 30th.
A case has been registered against the arrested PTI workers and wanted party leaders. About 17 PTI leaders have been named in an FIR lodged by the Islamabad police, Geo News reported.
The FIR states that the workers damaged the police check post and the main gate of the court premises, she said.
As many as 18 people were arrested for arson, stone pelting and vandalism of the court complex building, the FIR said.
“About two police vehicles and seven motorcycles were burnt, the official vehicle of the Station House Officer (SHO) was damaged,” it added.
Khan, 70, had come to Islamabad from Lahore to appear before the court. His supporters accompanied him in the convoy.
Soon after he left for Islamabad to attend the hearing, over 10,000 armed Punjab police raided Khan’s Zaman Park residence in Lahore and arrested dozens of his party workers.
Police used an electric shovel to remove barricades and tents at the entrance of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) president’s residence, evicting hundreds of his supporters who had camped there to prevent Khan’s arrest in the Toshakhan case.
PTI workers protest against police action
They searched the house after demolishing its main gate and walls. The Punjab Police, whose action ended later, reportedly faced opposition from PTI workers from within, leading to violence. About 10 workers were reportedly injured in the police operation in Lahore.
PTI leader Fawad Chaudhry said on Sunday that the party would register cases against policemen involved in “illegal operations” and violence at Khan’s residence.
“A meeting of the legal team was called today. The way the police defied the order of the Lahore High Court to enter Imran Khan’s residence trampled all rules of the sanctity of the home. [things were] stolen. [Things] also took away juice boxes. Innocent people were subjected to torture,” he wrote on Twitter.
“Defying a court order is unforgivable. The High Court should guard its judgment. Cases are being registered of all police officers who have carried out illegal operations and participated in violence,” he said.
Earlier, Khan appeared before the Lahore High Court on Friday and assured that he is ready to appear before Additional District and Sessions Judge (ADSJ) Iqbal on Saturday to hear the corruption case against him.
Khan in the dock
The PTI chief was in the dock for buying gifts, including an expensive Graff wristwatch, which he received as prime minister at a discounted price from a state depository called Toshakhana and sold for a profit.
Established in 1974, Toshakhana is a department under the administrative control of the Government Department and preserves rare gifts given to rulers, members of parliament, bureaucrats and officials by heads of other governments and states and foreign dignitaries.
The cricketer-turned-politician was disqualified by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) in October last year for failing to disclose details of the sale. The top electoral body later filed a complaint in the district court to punish him under criminal laws for selling gifts he received as the country’s prime minister.
Khan was ousted from power in April last year after losing a no-confidence vote, becoming Pakistan’s first prime minister to be voted out by the National Assembly.
