Imran Khan's possible arrest: PTI leaders, workers gather at Zaman Park
Pakistan
A formal call was given to the workers by leadership of the party to reach Zaman Park immediately.
LAHORE (Dunya News) – Local leadership of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) along with hundreds of supporters gathered outside the residence of PTI chief Imran Khan at the Zaman Park in Lahore on Tuesday night to thwart any attempt by police to arrest him, Dunya News reported.
A formal call was given to the workers by leadership of the party to reach Zaman Park immediately to resist the possible arrest of Imran.
Former federal minister Hammad Azhar, former Governor Punjab Omar Sarfraz Cheema, Abad Farooq, Zaheer Abbas Khokar, Ghulam Mohiuddin Dewan Azam Niazi and hundreds of PTI workers reached Zaman Park over reports that government plans to arrest party chairman Imran Khan.
The PTI leaders claimed that the federal government was planning to arrest PTI Chairman Imran Khan, with the help of caretaker government members.
The leaders of the former ruling party have warned the government that Imran Khan is their red line and called on other supporters to hit the streets across the country in protest against his possible arrest.
Earlier in the day, a district and sessions court in the federal capital deferred the indictment of former prime minister Imran Khan in the Toshakhana case after accepting his plea seeking exemption from physical appearance on medical grounds.
Additional Sessions Judge Zafar Iqbal announced the verdict reserved earlier in the day after Mr Khan’s counsel submitted a fresh petition seeking exemption from personal appearance. The judge accepted the plea, adding that a new date for indicting the PTI chief would be announced later.
The petition was submitted by Mr Khan’s lawyers Gohar Ali Khan and Ali Bukhari as Additional Sessions Judge Zafar Iqbal resumed hearing the case filed by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) for criminal proceedings against the PTI chief for allegedly misleading the officials about gifts he received from the foreign dignitaries during his tenure as prime minister of the country. The court had summoned the PTI chief for Tuesday for indictment in the case.
At the outset of the hearing, Mr Bukhari submitted the exemption plea on behalf of Imran Khan on medical grounds. He asked the court to fix next hearing of the case after Feb 15 as the PTI chief was scheduled to appear before Judge Rakhshanda Shaheen that day. “Provide us a date when Imran Khan will appear before court,” the judge told the lawyer as he expressed resentment over non-appearance of the suspect in the case.
Mr Bukhari said his client would attend the hearing if he was allowed by his doctors as he is recovering from bullet wounds in Lahore after an assassination attempt in Wazirabad. He said surety bonds worth Rs20,000 were submitted on Monday for the exemption plea.
