Police said they tried to arrest former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan at his home on Sunday, who is struggling with several court cases and who is pressuring the government to obtain an early election.
Agents from Islamabad arrived at Imran Khan’s home in Lahore, where hundreds of his supporters had gathered, but failed to find the ex-prime minister. “A team from Islamabad Police has arrived in Lahore to arrest Imran Khan to comply with court orders,” Islamabad Police said in a tweet. The superintendent of police entered a room in the house, but Imran Khan “was not present there”, it was added.
The arrest warrant was issued following the former prime minister failed to appear in court in a corruption case scheduled for February 28. Imran Khan is accused of not having declared the gifts he received during his tenure, nor the profits he made from their sale. Officials must declare all gifts, but are allowed to retain those that do not exceed a certain value.
“A bad omen for the country”
Later in the day, Imran Khan addressed members of his party in his house while the police remained outside: “I am summoned in false cases (…). It will be a bad omen for the country if the nation does not stand up once morest corrupt rulers,” he said.
Shah Mehmood Qureshi, vice-chairman of Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party, also told reporters that the notice they received from Islamabad police did not contain “any order to arrest”. “We will consult with our lawyers and follow legal process,” he added.
Alarming situation
Pakistani courts are often used to launch lengthy and tedious proceedings in a bid to stifle political opposition, say human rights defenders. Ousted from power in a vote of no confidence in April, Imran Khan, who was shot and wounded at a rally last year, is pushing for a snap election to be held no later than October.
In particular, he organized demonstrations, withdrew from parliament or even dissolved the two provincial assemblies controlled by his party in order to force the hand of the government. The country, which has more than 220 million inhabitants, is in the grip of serious economic difficulties with galloping inflation, insufficient foreign exchange reserves and stalled negotiations with the IMF.
