Punjab Police have stormed former prime minister Imran Khan’s Zaman Park residence in Lahore and arrested 30 people, while recovering assault rifles and a cache of bullets amid tear gas shelling after someone opened fire from the roof of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief’s house, claimed officials.
Police barged into the PTI chief’s house as he was on his way to attend the Toshakhana case hearing in Islamabad.
Police were accompanied by water cannons, bulldozers, and a prisoner van. They demolished PTI camps in the area with the help of cranes and removed barriers and containers.
Police also arrested 30 people as PTI supporters resisted and pelted the police with stones. The police then initiated tear gas shelling to control the workers.
Addressing a press conference, Punjab Inspector General of Police (IGP) Usman Anwar said they recovered AK-47 assault rifles and a large number of bullets from Imran Khan’s house.
He added five more Kalashnikovs were also found on Khan’s property.
Earlier, Additional District and Sessions (ADSJ) Judge Zafar Iqbal had said he would stop the Islamabad police from arresting PTI Chairman Imran Khan in the Toshakhana case if the ex-premier surrendered in court, while urging the party and its political workers to not resist the law.
The judge had issued non-bailable arrest warrants for the ex-premier after the PTI chief repeatedly failed to appear before the court.
However, when the police reached Imran’s Zaman Park residence in Lahore to arrest him on Tuesday, they were met with resistance, leading to two-day pitched battles between PTI supporters and law enforcement agencies. The clashes ultimately subsided after the courts intervened on Wednesday.
