By Staff Reporter
ISLAMABAD: The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Wednesday ordered police to suspend an operation to arrest former Prime Minister Imran Khan until 10am on Thursday, pausing violent clashes between the security personnel and his supporters that erupted the previous day.
Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party moved the LHC and the Islamabad High Court (IHC) separately in their bid to have his arrest warrants suspended and the police operation to take him into custody halted.
Television channels show police and other security officials were leaving Khan’s Lahore residence in Zaman Park, prompting celebrations among Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) supporters. Soon after, Khan came out of his residence, donning a gas mask, and met the party workers.
The LHC judge Justice Tariq Saleem Sheikh directed the Punjab police chief to stop the operation outside Khan’s residence till Thursday 10 am.
“The court has to ensure security to life and property of the citizens,” the judge remarked while hearing the petition.
The police chief assured the high court he would follow its orders and move the police force away from Zaman Park to Lahore’s Mall Road and Dharrampura bridge.
Later, the Islamabad High Court, in its verdict, dismissed the petition seeking suspension of Khan’s arrest warrants. “Imran Khan can move the trial court for cancellation of the arrest warrants,” the IHC said in its judgment
The court said that to get relief, Khan’s undertaking to present himself in the trial court on March 18 should be presented in the high court on Thursday.
“Since the non-bailable warrants of arrest have been issued by the learned trial court for the purposes of procuring the attendance of petitioner, the petitioner has undertaken to appear before the learned trial court. The competent court is the learned trial court, it is to satisfy itself regarding the undertaking and pass appropriate order as to the status of the warrants,“ the IHC said in its detailed judgement.
The court said the law and order situation in Lahore was a sad state of affairs where the state was being prevented to carry out its obligation for complying with the orders of the court.
“Such defiance of the law is not acceptable in any civilised society and the law needs to be adhered to by the citizens/people of any country in general and persons in the helm of the affairs particularly. The phrase ‘rule of law’ is not a rhetoric and has different connotations, including obedience to law and any defiance thereof naturally has consequences because law of the land has to and should prevail at all costs.”
Earlier in the day, authorities deployed the para-military Rangers outside Khan’s residence, a day after clashes with police left over 60 people injured, including 54 policemen.
The police, with their riot gear on, closed in on Khan’s home in order to comply with the court orders to arrest him in the Toshakhana case.
In a video address, Khan said he has asked the military establishment to end this ‘tamasha’.
“My house has been under heavy attack since yesterday afternoon. Latest attack by Rangers, pitting the largest political party against the army. This is what PDM and the enemies of Pakistan want. No lessons learnt from the East Pakistan tragedy,” he said.
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