The Islamabad police arrived in Lahore on Sunday to arrest Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman and former prime minister Imran Khan following the issuance of an arrest warrant in the Toshakhana case.
A session court in Islamabad had issued an arrest warrant for Imran Khan, and the police have reportedly reached his Lahore residence to make the arrest.
The arrest warrants issued by Additional Sessions Judge Zafar Iqbal in the Toshakhana case are carried by Islamabad SP City Hussain Tahir, who is in charge of the police force.
However, the Lahore police will accompany the Islamabad police as they walk to Zaman Park to take Khan into custody.
عدالتی احکامات کے مطابق عمران خان کی گرفتاری کےلیے اسلام آباد پولیس کی ٹیم لاہور پہنچی ہے۔
لاہور پولیس کے تعاون سے تمام کارروائی مکمل کی جارہی ہے۔
عدالتی احکامات کی تکمیل میں رکاوٹ ڈالنے والوں کے خلاف قانونی کارروائی عمل میں لائی جائے گی۔
1/2— Islamabad Police (@ICT_Police) March 5, 2023
The Islamabad police spokesperson said that the police team arrived in Lahore while following the court orders and that all necessary legal actions are being taken with the help of the Lahore police.
The spokesperson further said that anyone who attempts to hinder legal proceedings will face legal penalties. Imran Khan will be transported by the police squad to Islamabad under their protection, he added.
It is pertinent to mention here that Imran Khan has summoned his legal team to Zaman Park due to the possibility of an arrest.
Meanwhile, PTI leader Fawad Chaudhry held a press conference outside Imran Khan’s residence and said that the Islamabad Police had arrived at the former prime minister’s residence to arrest him in the Toshakhana reference.
He added that there are 74 cases against Khan, adding that Khan’s arrest was aimed at delaying the upcoming polls in Punjab.
عمران خان کی گرفتاری کی کوئ بھی کوشش حالات کو شدید خراب کر دے گی، میں اس نا اھل اور پاکستان دشمن حکومت کو خبردار کرنا چاہ رہا پاکستان کو مزید بحران میں نہ دھکیلیں اور ہوش سے کام لیں، کارکنان زمان پارک پہنچ جائیں
— Ch Fawad Hussain (@fawadchaudhry) March 5, 2023
PTI leader Fawad Chaudhry urged the party workers across the country to be ready for resistance and reach Zaman Park. “If the red line is crossed, there will be such a massive protest that the country has never seen before,” Fawad warned.
On the other hand, PTI vice-chairman Shah Mahmood Qureshi has urged the party workers not to panic. He further said, “We will follow the legal process in this regard.”
In response to the PTI leader’s unwillingness to submit to arrest, PML-N leader Maryam Nawaz remarked that even if the “lion is innocent, he clutches his daughter’s hand and comes to Pakistan from London to offer his arrest,” referring to her father Nawaz Sharif.
https://twitter.com/MaryamNSharif/status/1632313635056889856?s=20
Maryam urged the PTI Chairman Imran Khan to come out of his ‘bunker’, adding that “And if the jackal is a thief, he uses other people’s girls as a shield and hides in dread of his imprisonment.”
While talking to the media in Faisalabad, Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah said police had arrived in Zaman Park to execute the court’s decision. He said that anything that occurs at Zaman Park will be reported to the court.
The minister said that the former prime minister could have been detained three days ago, adding that the PTI workers would not have been able to prevent the arrest from taking place.
This is a developing story……
There is no need to arrest another national leader albeit a Suo Motu and apology is needed by the judiciary for falsifying conviction of another national leader.