On Wednesday, the Punjab government gave a 24-hour ultimatum to PTI to hand over “30 to 40 suspects” involved in attacking army installations after the arrest of former prime minister Imran Khan, claiming these “terrorists” were hiding in Zaman Park.

Zaman Park and surrounding areas have been closed to traffic by the police authorities.

The Canal Road has been blocked on both sides while Gurumangat Road was also closed for traffic.

The PTI supporters set up camps outside Zaman Park in March this year to resist police operations against the party chairman.

Violent protests erupted across the country last week after Imran Khan was arrested from the premises of Islamabad High Court (IHC) by Rangers on corruption charges.

The protesters stormed the military buildings, including Corps Commander Lahore’s residence and Pakistan Army headquarters in Rawalpindi. The protesters set ablaze a number of public and private properties as well.

Following last week’s protests, the authorities have arrested a number of PTI supporters and the military has vowed to prosecute the people involved in attacking military installations under Army Act, drawing severe condemnation from human rights quarters.

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The HRW said the police used abusive measures in the escalating confrontation between police and Imran Khan’s supporters and charged protesters with batons and detained them under counter-terrorism laws. The HRW added that if the protesters were involved in acts of violence, the government should prosecute them appropriately instead of over the top use of terrorism charges.

The government should uphold the right to peaceful protest, and refrain from the unlawful use of force, the HRW added.

On March 18, as Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief Imran Khan finally arrived at a courthouse in Islamabad after the court had issued an arrest warrant against him in a corruption case for a no-show, the party’s supporters clashed with the police authorities outside the court.

Earlier, a 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 following the court’s orders, 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.

In the aftermath of the violent clashes, police had arrested nearly 200 PTI members for “arson, vandalism and the attacks on police.”

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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.

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PEMRA prohibited the live coverage of any rally or public gathering, saying today a ban has been imposed on coverage of any party, person, or organisation.

According to a statement, PEMRA referred to the clashes between PTI workers and law enforcement personnel outside Imran Khan’s Zaman Park residence, saying it had “observed with concern” that satellite TV channels were “showing live footages (sic) / images of a violent mob, attacks on police and law enforcing agencies”.

The regulator warned that in case of non-compliance, the license shall be suspended under Section 30 (3) of PEMRA Ordinance 2002 as amended by Pemra (Amendment) Act 2007, without any show cause notice in the public interest along with other enabling provisions of law.

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Earlier in the day, Additional District and Sessions (ADSJ) Judge Zafar Iqbal 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.

Imran Khan had claimed that he has secured protective bail from the court till March 1 but police reached to arrest him four days before the hearing. He questioned the legality of the police raid with an arrest warrant before the expiry of his protective bail.

The PTI chief had also said that he is facing threats to his life, therefore, he is reluctant to appear before the court.

But lawyers have dismissed PTI’s claims, calling it an “incorrect reading of the law and a misrepresentation of court orders”.

Legal analyst Abdul Moiz Jaferii told Dissent Today that Imran Khan is making a mockery of the judicial system by disobeying court summons and then refusing to allow police to execute warrants.

“The police are making a similar mockery of this process by using disproportionate force and making a spectacle out of what should be a simple process,” he added.

He also condemned the use of excessive force by police in implementing the court’s orders.

“Excessive force is never justified. Neither can the ignorance of court summons, no matter what the strength of the arguments may be regarding the frivolousness of the cases needing to be answered,” he said.

While responding to a question related to PTI’s claims that warrants are illegal, the lawyer said the party’s claims are not based on facts and are misinterpretations of the court’s orders.

Regarding the legal action court can take against the PTI chief for disregarding its orders, Abdul Moiz Jaferii said that “it will be up to the court to decide whether they want to escalate”. However, he added, in these circumstances, the court typically orders to ensure compliance with the police.

Earlier, in a Twitter thread lawyer Reema Omer also criticised PTI for “propaganda” and making false statements related to the court’s orders.

She shared a screenshot of Islamabad High Court orders related to Imran Khan’s arrest and said that Imran Khan’s arrest warrants were lawful and police reached Zaman Park to arrest him in compliance with the court’s orders.

She also said that Imran Khan defying the arrest was against the law.

Please read IHC order for yourself and don’t fall for PTI propaganda:

1. Trial court issued non-bailable arrest warrant

2. The warrant was lawful and it was incumbent on police to ensure IK’s presence before court

3. IK’s defiance of lawful orders contrary to the rule of law pic.twitter.com/VPjmudBpl7

— Reema Omer (@reema_omer) March 15, 2023

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Officials from law enforcement agencies have been trying to enter Imran Khan’s Zaman Park residence in Lahore for the last two days to arrest him in connection with the Toshkhana case. However, after the PTI chief asked his supporters to “come out on roads”, protests erupted in various cities of the country with the PTI supporters stopping security personnel from entering Imran Khan’s residence.

During the clash between the PTI supporters and security personnel outside Zaman Park, as many as 54 policemen have been injured so far.

Meanwhile, the elderly sisters of lawyer Chaudhry Aitzaz Ahsan, Dr Shireen Zafarullah and  Nasreen Khalid Cheema, approached the Lahore High Court against Imran Khan for disturbing their peace and quiet.

They maintained that Zaman Park is encroached on at multiple points, causing traffic blockade, while loud music by PTI supporters at night time is causing sleepless nights to the neighbours, The News reported.

The LHC did not entertain their petitions, saying the petitioners should approach the Justice of the Peace to pursue this matter.

The sisters approached LHC after receiving no response from Imran Khan on the protest letter they wrote to him.

The sisters had also written to a number of officials, including Punjab chief secretary, inspector general of police, Lahore commissioner and SHO of Race Course Police Station. However, they received no response from either of the parties.

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Officials from law enforcement agencies have been trying to arrest Imran Khan since yesterday. However, the PTI supporters have been stopping security personnel from entering Imran Khan’s Lahore residence where he is currently present.

During the clash between the PTI supporters and security personnel outside Imran Khan’s residence, as many as 54 policemen have been injured so far.

Social media users have condemned Imran Khan for not complying with the court’s orders and using his workers as a”shield to avoid arrest”.

Former member of the National Assembly Bushra Gohar criticised Imran Khan for using his workers as a shield and said that had a party leader from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa done this, they would have been labeled a terrorist. 

Had party leader from #Pakhtunkhwa used workers as a shield to avoid arrest, s/he would have been labelled a terrorist & house bombarded. #GayaPakistan #EndThePuppetShow https://t.co/Y2VecGHEQF

— Bushra Gohar (@BushraGohar) March 14, 2023

Another social media user called Imran Khan out for “creating drama” and said that Imran Khan has once again proved that he is not an “awami leader”.

Imran Khan calls himself a leader and he is afraid of being arrested — what a fainthearted man who has created Tamasha, drama to protect himself. Once again, Imran has proved that he is not Awami leader

— Veengas (@VeengasJ) March 14, 2023

One social media user criticised the PTI chief for not stopping his workers from creating “mayhem” as they set fire to a water tanker of the Lahore Water and Wastewater Management and other vehicles.

When there was mayhem after Benazir assassinated, @AAliZardari had raised one slogan “ Pakistan Khapay” and calm returned.
PTI supporters set fire to a water tanker of the Lahore Wastewater motorcycles,other vehicles also ransacked a warden’s office on Mall Road.

— Mariana Baabar (@MarianaBaabar) March 15, 2023

Minister for Climate Change Sherry Rehman also criticised Imran Khan for not facing the courts and said that the former premier thinks he is above the law and judiciary.

عدالتی حکم پر عملدرآمد کیلئے پولیس ضمانت پارک پہنچتی ہے تو تحریک انتشار کی ڈنڈا بردار فورس نکل آتی ہے۔قانونی کاروائی میں مداخلت اور پولیس پر پتھراؤ کی شدید مذمت کرتے ہیں۔مفرور خان کو پولیس سے بچانے کیلئے ٹائیگر فورس کو آگے کیا جاتا ہے۔ یہ ملک میں کس لاقانونیت کی بنیاد رکھ رہے؟1/2

— SenatorSherryRehman (@sherryrehman) March 14, 2023

She added that PTI workers are obstructing justice for clashing with the police officials who reached Imran Khan’s Lahore residence to arrest him as per the court’s orders.

عدالتی اور قانونی کاروائی کو روکنا بھی جرم ہے۔ کارکنان کو پولیس کےخلاف اکسانے سے بہتر ہے عمران خان باعزت طرقے سے کاروائی کا سامنہ کریں۔ یہ عدالت کا احترام کرتے ہیں نا قانون کا۔ عمران خان خود کو عدالت اور قانون سے بالا سمجھنا بند کریں اور عام شہری کی طرح قانون کا سامنہ کریں۔ 2/2

— SenatorSherryRehman (@sherryrehman) March 14, 2023

The minister also asked Imran Khan to face the courts instead of inciting his workers to violence.
Which leader uses women and party workers as shields? she questioned.
Sherry Rehman called the PTI chief “selfish” for putting his workers and police officials’ lives in danger.

کون سا سیاسی قائد اپنی گرفتاری سے بچنے کیلئے کارکنان اور عورتوں کو ڈھال بناتا ہے؟ تحریک انصاف نے کل سے زمان پارک کو یرغمال بنایا ہوا ہے۔ عمران خان گرفتاری سے بچنے کیلئے اپنے کارکنان اور پولیس والوں کی زندگیاں خطرے میں ڈال رہے۔ ایک خودغرض لیڈر ہی لوگوں کی زندگیوں سے کھیلتا ہے۔3/3

— SenatorSherryRehman (@sherryrehman) March 15, 2023

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