New Delhi: Amid death threats, Pakistan’s former Prime Minister Imran Khan arrived at a court in Lahore on Tuesday wearing a makeshift bulletproof helmet resembling a black hood. A video posted by his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party showed cricketer-turned-politician Imran being escorted to the court by four men with bulletproof shields.
Imran Khan, who was shot in the leg last year, has repeatedly claimed that he is in danger for his life.
Imran Khan appeared in the Anti-Terrorism Court amidst tight security. pic.twitter.com/ZKetvQBQUe– PTI (@PTIofficial) April 4, 2023
Khan was granted interim bail till April 13 by an anti-terrorism court in Pakistan’s Punjab province in three cases filed last month related to clashes between his supporters and police outside the former prime minister’s residence in Lahore.
In the previous hearing, Presiding Judge Ijaz Ahmad Buttar had directed the PTI chief to ensure his presence in every subsequent hearing and also to join the police investigation of the cases.
Police registered cases against Khan and other PTI leaders for allegedly attacking police teams and burning official property and vehicles outside his Zaman Park residence in Lahore.
Apart from Section 7 of the Anti-Terrorism Act, 1997, offenses under various sections of the Pakistan Penal Code have been included in the FIR.
During the hearing, leaders of the Joint Investigation Team (JIT) probing the alleged assassination threat against the PTI chief reached the court and said that the party leader has not become part of the investigation.
The caretaker government of Punjab had on March 22 decided to set up a committee headed by SSP Imran Kishwar to probe the former prime minister’s claims that a conspiracy was hatched to assassinate him.
The announcement about the commission of inquiry was made by interim chief minister Mohsin Naqvi to investigate the FIR lodged in Lahore and finalize the investigation.
The court then directed Khan’s counsel to submit a written statement and summoned the head of the JIT to appear in the next hearing.
The judge also directed the JIT to complete the probe at the earliest. The PTI chief was injured on November 3 last year when a gunman fired at Khan’s container-mounted truck during his speech at an election rally in Punjab’s Wazirabad.
However, Khan’s counsel told the court that his client has become part of the ongoing investigation.
Khan approached the Lahore High Court on 25 March for the provision of security, which he was entitled to as an ex-prime minister.
In a petition filed through advocate Azhar Siddiqui, the PTI chief had said that adequate security was not deployed at his Zaman Park residence.
He had claimed that due to security lapses due to incompetence of the police officers, he had to arrange private security for the safety of his life, even though it was a constitutional obligation of the government.
It was argued in the petition that the respondents had denied security to the petitioner and his party out of political vendetta, despite the court’s order. Hence there is danger to the life of the petitioner and his party members.
The petition asks the court to order the respondents to immediately provide foolproof security to the petitioner and equip him with all allied facilities round the clock, so as to safeguard his life, as mandated through Article 9 of the Constitution It is guaranteed. ,
The clashes outside Khan’s Zaman Park residence were the result of police action to enforce an arrest warrant issued by an Islamabad court in the Toshakhana case.
Khan has been in the crosshairs for buying gifts, including an expensive Graff wristwatch, which he obtained as a premier at a discounted price from a state depository called Toshakhana, and selling them for a profit.
Khan repeatedly failed to attend the hearing of the case, which led to the issuance of a warrant against him.
(with agency inputs)