By Staff Reporter
ISLAMABAD: Former Prime Minister Imran Khan said on Wednesday that the police had encircled his residence in Lahore, raising the likelihood of his arrest once again.
“Probably my last tweet before my next arrest. Police have surrounded my house,” Khan said in a Twitter post.
Dawn.com reported that the Punjab police have assembled outside the Zaman Park residence of Pakistan Tahreek-e-Insaf chairman. “Khan’s residence is currently cordoned off by police officials.”
The development comes after the caretaker Information Minister of Punjab, Amir Mir, said intelligence reports suggest the presence of 30-40 supporters responsible for recent attacks on military properties who are believed to be hiding at the Lahore residence of the former prime minister.
Khan was given a 24-hour ultimatum to hand over the suspects or face consequences.
A spate of violence erupted throughout Pakistan subsequent to Khan’s arrest from an Islamabad court last week on charges related to land graft.
Angry supporters of Khan set fire to buildings and vehicles and launched attacks on police, military personnel, and facilities. The clashes resulted in the loss of 10 lives, with authorities arresting 4,000 individuals. The Supreme Court later ordered Khan’s release and criticized the manner in which he was apprehended.
Both the army and the government have pledged to subject the “arsonists” involved in the violent protests to military law.
In a live video statement, Khan said his opponents were deliberately inciting a confrontation between him and the army.
“I’m afraid that this will bring a big backlash that will cause a huge loss to our country,” the former premier said. “… If someone thinks that this strategy can win a ban on my party, it is not going to happen.”
Khan presented a survey showing the popularity of the Pakistan Tahreek-e-Insaf party. Moreover, he asserted that other political parties were apprehensive about his potential return as they feared losing in the upcoming elections.
“If the election happened, then Imran will win, and they don’t care whether it is good for the people or not. What they care about is that the corruption cases that have been closed during their governance would be out.”
The PTI chief emphasized his unwavering support for the army, highlighting his efforts to defend it internationally.
“I have defended my army across the world… I was a known face. Name another Pakistani who defended the army the way I did on international media,” he said.
“The cases that are being filed under military laws — it never happened before that without any investigation or independent inquiry… it was suddenly decided that PTI is a terrorist organization.”
Khan said the party will be approaching the court, seeking the formation of a judicial commission to probe into riots following his arrest.
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