PAKISTAN: Pakistan’s main opposition leader and former Prime Minister Imran Khan says that the authorities are breaking the law in their attempt to detain him. “They should all be subject to the law of the land,” said Khan. Early Tuesday, police officials clashed with the ex-PM’s backers outside his Lahore residence as they tried to arrest him on a court order.
He is facing accusations of selling state gifts while serving in office. He says that there is political motivation behind the case. On Tuesday, there was a tense scene outside of his compound in Lahore city as police officers attempted to barge their way inside. Officers fired tear gas shells to scatter Khan’s supporters, who hurled stones and bricks.
The politician, 70, asserted there was “no reason” for officers to detain him on Tuesday because he had protective bail in place until Saturday. He also claimed that the administration was determined to imprison him following previous failed attempts.
“I’m mentally prepared that I’m going to be spending my night in a cell. I don’t know how many nights, but I’m all prepared for that,” Khan said on Tuesday.
The former PM showed what he claimed to be tear gas canisters, which he stated had been fired at his property. He said that the police were attempting to detain him to prevent his party from running in the upcoming elections. But he continued, “Whether I’m in jail or not, they will not be able to stop my party from winning.”
A government minister, Marriyum Aurangzeb, said that the action had nothing to do with the upcoming elections and that the police were just following court orders to hold him because of corruption cases.
She alleged that Khan was evading arrest and stoking unrest by using his party members, women, and children as human shields. Khan’s supporters are also carrying out demonstrations in other cities.
He was expelled as prime minister in April last year, but he has continued to put pressure on Shehbaz Sharif, his successor, by holding protests and making statements demanding an early election instead of the ones scheduled for later this year. Khan blames Sharif for an assassination attempt he faced in November during a rally in which he was injured in the leg.
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