Lahore: Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah indicated that legal action may be initiated to declare Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), the political party of former Prime Minister Imran Khan, as a banned organisation. Speaking at a press conference in Lahore on Saturday, Rana said the legal team of the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) is probing the matter in the light of several revelations, leading to a case being filed against the party. Could However, he clarified that officially banning a political party ultimately rests with the courts.
According to him, the Punjab Police along with other law enforcement agencies launched an operation against “no-go areas” in Lahore where an alleged political leader had allegedly created an “atmosphere of fear”. According to the Tribune report, Sanaullah said the action was taken after facing resistance during the execution of court orders, which raised concerns about the presence of a possible terrorist organization.
He added, “The operation resulted in the clearance of a no-go area in Zaman Park. Despite having a search warrant, the officers did not enter the residential area.” The Home Minister said that 65 people have been arrested from outside the building, most of them are not from Punjab and their role is suspicious.
He further said that guns, equipment for making petrol bombs, slingshots and other weapons have been recovered from Zaman Park. Earlier on Saturday, Punjab Police launched surprise searches at Imran’s residence and arrested several party workers, hours after he appeared before a local court in Islamabad.
Former Chief Minister of Punjab and President of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Chaudhary Parvez Elahi termed the police raid in Zaman Park as a gross violation of the orders of the Lahore High Court and said that the police action in Zaman Park was carried out on the instructions of Maryam Nawaz and Rana Was. Sanaullah. The PTI leadership has strongly condemned the “state terrorism” launched at the residence of party president Imran Khan, which it described as “part of the London plan to eliminate him”, Dawn reported. The Tribune reported that the capital city police officer (CCPO) Lahore himself supervised the operation as police used heavy machinery to break open the gate of PTI chief Imran Khan’s residence.
The police were accompanied by water cannons, bulldozers and a prisoner van. They soon demolished PTI camps in the area with the help of cranes and removed barriers and containers.Dr. Usman Anwar, Inspector General of Police (IGP), Punjab, said weapons were recovered during today’s search operation.
The Punjab IGP said during a press conference, “We have recovered weapons from Imran Khan’s house. More weapons are there. It was giving the impression that it was a restricted area, but we have cleared it.” ” Punjab’s Acting Information Minister Amir Mir.
He said that some bunkers have also been built in Zaman Park while some bullet proof equipment has also been found. He said all illegal encroachments have also been removed, the Tribune reported.
Legal proceedings against Imran Khan began after he was ousted from office in a parliamentary vote early last year. The 70-year-old politician has been calling for mid-term elections and leading protests across the country.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif rejected Khan’s demands, saying that an election would be scheduled for later this year. The country is facing an economic crisis and is awaiting a bailout package of US$1.1 billion from the IMF.
The case before the Islamabad High Court alleges Imran Khan sold luxury watches and other items given to the state during his 2018-2022 tenure as prime minister.
The Election Commission of Pakistan found him guilty and barred him from holding public office for one parliamentary term. Imran says that he is avoiding the hearing because he fears for his safety.