Pakistan: PTI workers take control of Zaman Park, protests continue with police no closer to arresting Imran Khan
Pakistan: PTI workers take control of Zaman Park, protests continue with police no closer to arresting Imran Khan
Lahore (Pakistan): The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) workers and supporters have taken control of Zaman Park in Lahore after the police, which earlier arrived to arrest former prime minister Imran Khan in the Toshakana case, withdrew from the Canal Road, ARY News reported on Tuesday.
The police failed to arrest the PTI chief despite the passage of seven hours as PTI workers laid siege to the path leading to Imran Khan’s residence as well as Canal Road, according to details provided by the Pakistani news channel.
Pakistan’s ousted prime minister Imran Khan Tuesday asked his supporters to stand up for their rights and continue the struggle even if he is killed or arrested, hours after clashes erupted between the police and his party workers who gathered outside his residence here to foil his arrest in the Toshakhana case.
My message to the nation to stand resolute and fight for Haqeeqi Azadi & rule of law. pic.twitter.com/bgVuOjsmHG
— Imran Khan (@ImranKhanPTI) March 14, 2023
Intermittent tear gas shelling is ongoing at Zaman Park as police — which was previously camped out at a security barrier outside the neighbourhood — has been forced to retreat towards Mall Road. PTI workers, meanwhile, have laid siege to the path leading to Imran’s residence as well as Canal Road, Down reported.
Protests broke out in Islamabad, Peshawar, Karachi and Rawalpindi after the PTI chief called on his supporters to “come out” following police’s use of tear gas and water cannons on supporters outside Zaman Park.
The PTI workers and supporters chanted slogans in favour of Imran Khan. The Punjab police sought more water cannons on both sides of Canal Road and also fired tear gas shells at PTI workers, Samaa English reported.
Sharing the details of the protest and police reactions, PTI Karachi Official tweeted, “The worst firing is being done by the police on Karachi Hassan Square, women, children, elderly people are not being considered. Sindh Police is firing indiscriminately to stop the protest and disperse the protestors.
Khan, who was ousted in a no-confidence vote in Parliament last April, was ordered to appear before a judge in Islamabad on Friday to answer charges of illegally selling state gifts he had received during his term as premier and concealing his assets.
The former premier has avoided appearances before the court since November when he was wounded in a gun attack at a protest rally in the eastern Punjab province, claiming he was not medically fit to travel from Lahore to Islamabad to face indictment.
With inputs from agencies.
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