Imran dodges arrest after Islamabad Police present up at Lahore residence with courtroom summons – Pakistan
PTI Chairman Imran Khan on Sunday addressed his social gathering employees and supporters at his Zaman Park residence in Lahore regardless of being “unavailable” to the police current exterior to arrest him.
The Islamabad Police together with their Punjab Police counterparts arrived at Imran’s residence earlier within the day to take Imran into custody for his persistent absences from Toshakhana courtroom hearings.
The 70-year-old former prime minister, who has been recovering from a gunshot damage from an assassination attempt in Wazirabad final 12 months, has thrice skipped indictment hearings in an Islamabad periods courtroom within the case.
What we all know thus far
- Islamabad Police arrived at Imran’s Zaman Park residence in Lahore round 12:30pm to arrest him
- They had been met by a considerable amount of PTI employees, who massed exterior his residence on Fawad Chaudhry’s name
- Non-bailable arrest warrants had been issued by a periods courtroom choose for Imran’s persistent no-shows in Toshakhana case hearings
- Police say those that impede arrest will probably be prosecuted
- Islamabad police chief says gained’t return empty-handed
- PTI is threatening mass protests if arrest goes by means of
- Rana Sanaullah says Imran’s arrest was on courtroom orders, and never the federal government’s
- Imran addressed social gathering employees at Zaman Park residence as police await exterior
- Celebration approaches LHC for protecting bail
Imran’s speech
Addressing the crowd of PTI loyalists, Imran said he had never “bowed before any man or institution, and will never let you do so as well”.
Imran said he had called the public to Zaman Park to pay tribute to them for the way they participated in the ‘Jail Bharo Tehreek’ (court arrest movement). “I did not call you for my support but to thank you,” he added.
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He said “only a nation, and not a group” could confront the challenges being faced by the country.
Assailing the government’s performance, he said it was the “worst time” for the country as the economy had “sunk” and the people were being crushed by “record high inflation in Pakistan’s history”.
He lashed out at government leaders, alleging that they had stashed their wealth overseas and were given protection in legal cases by former army chief Gen (retd) Qamar Javed Bajwa.
The PTI chief renewed his allegation that “all those in power today” were behind the Wazirabad assassination attempt on him, but named Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah and an intelligence official in particular.
Islamabad police’s attempt to arrest Imran in Toshakhana case
Imran is accused of concealing, in his property declarations, particulars of the presents he retained from the Toshakhana — a repository the place presents handed to authorities officers from international officers are saved. Officers are legally allowed to retain presents offered they pay a pre-assessed quantity, usually a fraction of the worth of the present.
In a collection of tweets at this time, the Islamabad Police mentioned an operation to arrest Imran was being performed with the cooperation of the Lahore police.
It said that the PTI chief was “avoiding” the arrest, including that the superintendent of police had “gone into Imran’s room however he was not current there”.
“Islamabad Police will switch Imran Khan to Islamabad underneath their safety. Regulation is equal for all,” it mentioned including that authorized motion can be taken in opposition to these obstructing the execution of courtroom orders.
Individually, Islamabad Inspector Basic of Police (IGP) Akbar Nasir mentioned that the police had delivered the courtroom’s discover to Imran and confirmed that it needed to be acquired.
“Now, we’re requesting him [Imran] to come back with us,” he mentioned in an interview with DawnNewsTV. “With numerous respect, we’ve requested Imran Khan to come back with us in order that the courtroom’s orders may be obeyed and Imran may be offered in courtroom.”
He mentioned that each Islamabad and Lahore’s police groups had been current exterior the ex-premier’s home and wouldn’t go away with out arresting him.
“Police’s work is to implement courtroom orders and maintain the regulation and order state of affairs intact. We are going to strive our greatest that he [Imran] comes with us,” IGP Nasir added.
PTI chief Shibli Faraz acquired the summons on Imran’s behalf, writing on the doc that it was acquired at 12:58pm and that “Chairman Imran Khan is just not out there nevertheless we are going to adjust to all authorized processes”.
Later within the day, when Imran’s presence at his residence was confirmed by the use of his speech, Islamabad police mentioned motion can be taken in opposition to Senator Faraz for “misrepresenting information” in the best way of authorized motion.
In the meantime, footage on tv confirmed police officers in Islamabad Police uniforms in addition to Punjab Police being held again by PTI employees exterior the Zaman Park residence.
Somewhat later, Punjab police reinforcements is also seen arriving exterior Imran’s home.
Extra District and Periods Choose Zafar Iqbal on Feb 28, issued non-bailable arrest warrants for the PTI chief when he failed to seem in individual for the indictment. Imran had 4 in-person courtroom hearings that day and managed to safe bail in three of the 4 instances.
The warrant, a replica of which is offered with Daybreak.com, said that Imran had repetitively failed to seem earlier than the courtroom. “The accused is making a choose and select for courts and instances and this case is just not included in his precedence.”
“The accused be summoned by means of a non-bailable warrant of arrest for March 7,” it added.
PTI leaders arrive at LHC seeking protective bail for Imran
Meanwhile, the PTI legal team comprising senior leader Fawad Chaudhry and Advocate Azhar Siddique arrived at the Lahore High Court (LHC) seeking Imran’s protective bail.
The petition, a copy of which is available with Dawn.com, prays to the court to grant protective bail to Imran for a period of at least 15 days so he could approach the concerned sessions court in Islamabad.
The staff of the registrar’s office was not present at the high court when the PTI leaders got there.
Police trying to implement court order: Tarar
Meanwhile, prime minister’s special aide Attaullah Tarar said Imran needed to be indicted in the Toshakhana case, adding that the police did not go to Zaman Park at the government’s directives but to execute the court’s summons for the PTI chief.
Labelling the PTI chief a “coward”, Tarar said “he is not attending the Toshakhana case because he knows that if there is an indictment, then the billions of rupees he and his wife have swallowed from the treasury, which he calls an ordinary case, [will come to light].”
‘A banana republic’
While the police were outside his residence, Imran took the time to tweet about how a country “becomes a banana republic”.
“What future can a country have when crooks are thrust as rulers upon it? SS [Shehbaz Sharif] was about to be convicted by NAB (National Accountability Bureau) for Rs8 bn money laundering and by FIA (Federal Investigation Agency) for another Rs16 bn corruption when he was rescued by Gen Bajwa who kept getting NAB cases trial postponed,” he said.
The PTI chief went on to say that while Shehbaz was under trial, he was made the prime minister.
“He has since proceeded to select heads of those institutions investigating his cases — first FIA and now NAB — simply to get his name permanently cleared in Rs16 bn corruption and Rs8 bn money laundering cases against him.
“This is how a country becomes a banana republic,” he added.
Fawad warns of countrywide protests if ‘red line’ crossed
In a press conference outside Imran’s residence, PTI leader Fawad Chaudhry said that the Islamabad Police had arrived at the ex-premier’s residence to execute his arrest in the Toshakhana case.
“There are 74 cases against Imran. It is humanly not possible for any person to appear in court in all these cases,” he said, claiming that Imran’s arrest was aimed at postponing the upcoming general elections in Punjab.
Fawad stated that Imran had always respected the judiciary and appeared before courts whenever he was called. “But they want Imran Khan to go to court so that terrorists can target him again.”
He then called on party workers across the country to prepare. “If they cross the red line, there will be a protest that Pakistan has never seen before,” Fawad added.
On the other hand, PTI vice-chairman Shah Mahmood Qureshi asked supporters not to panic.
“The notice [presented by the police] does not have any arrest orders. Imran Khan and our legal team will hold a meeting at 2:30pm and then announce our plan of action,” he stated.
The party, Qureshi went on to say, will follow the legal process in this regard.
“We are a political party and we will have a political approach to this situation as well. You need to not worry but stay cautioned. We will meet Imran Khan right now,” he added.
In response to a question, Qureshi said that the only concern the party had was related to Imran’s security.
Later in a second media talk, Fawad claimed the police would be committing contempt of court if they arrest Imran.
“The attempt to arrest Imran Khan is only being carried out so that people can die,” he said, urging PTI workers to remain completely peaceful.
Fawad claimed the IG and Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah want a clash to take place at Zaman Park. “Lahore police is being sent here to tear gas people so that people here react,” the PTI leader said. “They are deliberately trying to create an untoward situation”.
The former federal minister said: “They want to arrest Imran Khan so that the public of Pakistan can be jailed.”
He claimed that the courts had already halted the arrest of Imran.
Meanwhile, PTI leader Hammad Azhar called on PTI supporters in Lahore to converge on the Zaman Park residence.
Arrest on court orders, not govt orders: Sanaullah
Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah has said that Imran was being arrested on the court’s orders and not the government’s order.
“The police have only come to uphold the court’s order. If they had to arrest Imran at all costs, PTI burgers wouldn’t be an obstacle,” he claimed, adding that if the government had decided to arrest the PTI chief, “it would not have been a difficult feat”.
The minister further stated that Imran should be arrested as per court’s orders, punished and then disqualified.
Separately, PML-N chief organiser Maryam Nawaz has asked her father and party supremo Nawaz Sharif to “lend some of his courage to Imran Khan”. Nawaz is currently leading party operations from London.
In a tweet earlier, PML-N leader Attaullah Tarar said that the PTI chief was “panicking after seeing his [possible] arrest and the nature of the cases against him”.
“There is only one way to change the conditions — dragging him by the ear and putting him in jail,” he added.
Toshakhana Reference
Imran was set to be indicted in the Toshakhana Reference on Feb 28, but his lawyer had requested ADSJ Zafar Iqbal that he be exempted from the hearing because he had to appear in several other courts. His indictment was deferred twice before.
The judge had then issued arrest warrants for Imran and adjourned the hearing till March 7.
The reference, which alleges that Imran had not shared details of the gifts he retained from the Toshaskhana (during his time as the prime minister) and proceeds from their reported sales, was filed by lawmakers from the ruling coalition last year. On October 21, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) had concluded that the former premier had indeed made “false statements and incorrect declarations” regarding the gifts.
The Toshakhana is a department under the Cabinet Division that stores gifts given to rulers and government officials by heads of other governments and foreign dignitaries. According to Toshakhana rules, gifts/presents and other such materials received by persons to whom these rules apply shall be reported to the Cabinet Division.
The watchdog’s order had said Imran stood disqualified underneath Article 63(1)(p) of the Structure.
Subsequently, the ECP had approached the Islamabad periods courtroom with a replica of the reference, in search of proceedings in opposition to Imran underneath felony regulation for allegedly deceptive officers concerning the presents he acquired from international dignitaries throughout his tenure because the prime minister.
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