By Staff Reporter
ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court of Pakistan on Saturday ordered a probe into a police raid on the home of the new chairman of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party, which has accused the establishment of harassment and intimidation ahead of the national elections next month.
Barrister Gohar Khan, who was elected as the PTI chairman last month, said his family was assaulted by armed men who stormed into his house in four pickup trucks and seized his computer and documents.
Khan made the allegation during a court hearing on a petition filed by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), which wants to revoke the PTI’s election symbol of a cricket bat for the upcoming national polls in February.
The ECP has claimed that the PTI held a flawed intraparty election process, which the PTI has denied and challenged in the Peshawar High Court, which ruled in its favor. The ECP then appealed to the Supreme Court.
“My family has been attacked,” Barrister Khan approached the rostrum and told the court. “People arrived in four pickup trucks and took the computer and documents from my residence. They beat my nephew and son. I just received this information.”
Chief Justice Qazi Faez Isa, who was presiding over the appeal, expressed outrage over the raid on Khan’s home and warned that “heads may roll” if the incident was proven true.
He summoned the Islamabad police chief, Qazi Jamil Akbar, to the court and asked him to explain the reason for the raid.
Akbar said the police had received a tip-off about some wanted criminals hiding in the house, but later realized it was the residence of the PTI chairman.
The city police chief claimed that no violence or theft had occurred, and that it was a routine operation.
He said the police were conducting further investigations.
The chief justice ordered Akbar to personally visit Khan’s home and inquire about the incident from his family members and also directed him to submit a report to the court by Monday.
“Okay, go there personally and submit a report before us. This is a very serious matter. Every citizen has to have full protection. Since you’re not aware of it, but heads may roll,” Justice Isa said.
The PTI, led by former prime minister Imran Khan, has repeatedly stated that its leaders have been targeted by state agencies, alleging an uneven playing field ahead of the upcoming general elections. The party has been facing a crackdown following violent protests triggered by the brief detention of ex-PM Khan from an Islamabad court last year in May.
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