The search operation at Zaman Park has stalled amid talks.
Imran says to obey LHC orders, and the government wants no residents.
LAHORE – A stalemate has developed between the government team and the former premier over the best way to carry out the Lahore High Court’s order to search the Zaman Park home of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf chairman Imran Khan. The government team has insisted that it will search the entire premises without any household member on the ground.
The LHC allowed “there will be one person from their (government) side and one from ours, along with a female officer,” as Imran told the reporters after the team departed his home.
But once the Lahore commissioner and his crew visited, the authorities cleared up the encroachments in Zaman Park.
After that, the police officers who had been stationed there in case of trouble were recalled as well.
Lahore Commissioner Muhammad Ali Randhawa, Deputy Commissioner Rafia Haider, Deputy Inspector General of Police Operations Sadiq Ali Dogar, and Senior Superintendent of Police Sohaib Ashraf entered Zaman Park with search warrants in hand and met with Imran to discuss the scope of the operation.
The group stayed on the property for an extended amount of time. However, they were unable to settle on anything. The interim Information Minister of Punjab, Amir Mir, and the leader of the PTI both acknowledged this.
The search operation, according to Mir, will resume today (Saturday) in daylight.
When high-ranking government officers showed up at Imran’s house with search warrants during the day, the PTI was grateful.
The PTI tweeted that it “fully cooperated” with law enforcement officers who had been to its chairman’s home with warrants because “we believe in the rule of law.”
If the police had come in a lawful manner on March 18, when they stormed the gate without a warrant, tensions would not have risen and the rule of law would have been restored in the country.
Later that day, though, Imran told the media, “I do not trust the caretaker Punjab government, as I fear that they will plant weapons and false evidence to implicate me in a fake case.”
I instructed them to come and see that there is no wanted person here,” Imran said of the government team that came to his house. Now they’re saying they want to search your entire house.
Why do you have to come and search my residence if you’re looking for wanted men or terrorists? Have I broken the law, or is there something else I need to know?
I warned them that won’t be tolerated,” he declared. Whatever we do allow, it will be in accordance with the Lahore High Court’s directives.
A female officer will be joining “one person from their side and one from ours,” he said, adding that the LHC had approved this arrangement.
This was mandated by the LHC to ensure that history does not repeat itself. They broke in, looted, and damaged property, all while claiming to have discovered Kalashnikovs. That’s why we have zero faith in them.
The PTI leader said he would be fine with a government search of his home provided he knew it would be conducted in accordance with the LHC’s directives.
Authorities have reversed course and now claim that the individuals at Zaman Park are sought criminals rather than terrorists.
Identify anybody you like. And on that premise they have deported 7,500 of our people. Our entire executive team has been wiped out.
Authorities have informed us that everyone in the house must vacate before a search can take place.
We want to pursue this matter legally.
In response to allegations that members of his party were responsible for the violence on May 9, the PTI chairman said, “I will help [the police] catch them” if the government provided evidence of such involvement.
However, this is not the situation. The PTI is the target of these efforts. The arrest of 7,500 persons seems impossible. Videos of Shah Mahmood Qureshi and Yasmin Rashid pleading with the public to maintain calm are available online.
Imran claimed that the PTI was the target of a malicious crackdown, and that the arrests were evidence of that.
The country’s laws are not being enforced because of this. This is all happening to bring down one particular group.
“scared of holding polls because they lost the by-elections despite having the support of the establishment and ECP,” the ex-prime minister claimed of the Pakistan Democratic Movement-led federal government.
Now they are trying to set Imran and the PTI against the army as a method to avoid elections.
Whatever the case may be, they have utilized it as fuel. However, this path ultimately leads to Pakistan’s demise.
If the elections in Punjab and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa are delayed, the current government will face charges under Article 6, according to the PTI leader.
His statement that “all the judges agree on the point that elections should be held within 90 days” was met with laughter.
The Army Chief ‘obviously has some concerns with me,’ Imran Claims.
Isolation sets in for a political party or leader when they don’t have public backing, Imran argued.
“PDM factions are effectively cut off at the moment.”
Imran stated, “There can be no military courts in Pakistan,” when asked about the possibility of military tribunals convicting PTI supporters. As of 2019, they are no longer in effect and cannot be revived.
Where exactly did they target the military, Imran? The only other locations I am aware of are the home of the Lahore corps commander and two or three others.
“And on that, a full investigation ought to be conducted, and they ought to be punished.”
As for running for office, Imran has made it clear that his party will not need to do so once elections are called.
Our members’ main responsibility on election day will be to ensure a smooth voting process.
The majority of Imran’s assets are located in Pakistan and are registered in his name. People like Nawaz Sharif and Ishaq Dar, who have substantial assets abroad, often opt for an NRO.
I can get by without an NRO. Never in my life will I leave Pakistan.
Imran warned “whoever is behind the crackdown against the party leaders” that their efforts will only serve to expand the PTI’s support base.
Remember what I say, whoever is doing this: you are helping the party. It doesn’t matter who joins or departs a party if they already have more than 70% of the vote.
Meanwhile, Lahore police said they had apprehended six further individuals fleeing Zaman Park on May 9 who were involved in violent activities at military sites in the province capital. They committed arson at the Askari Tower (four of them) and the Jinnah House (two of them).
Eight people who were trying to escape from Zaman Park were caught last night. Bakht Alam, from Shangla, Mumtaz, from Mardan, Azizul Ghani, from Swat, Abdul Ghafoor, from Ichhra, Zohaib, from Shahdara, Ejaz, from Missri Shah, Nabil, from Shalimar, and Hanzala, from Sialkot, have all been named as suspects.
The suspects allegedly have contracts with PTI leaders including Ejaz Chaudhry. Timber Market, located close to Niazi Chowk, was where they purchased the wooden clubs.
The attack on the Shamdan police station has also resulted in the arrest of at least 35 individuals.
After being identified via CCTV cameras, the suspects were arrested.
Punjab’s administration has alerted at least 10 joint inquiry teams to look into the chaos on May 9.
SSP Operations Sohaib Ashraf, SP AVLS Raza Zahid, ASP Taimoor Khan, and Incharge Investigations Factory Area Muhammad Sarwar made up the first JIT, with Lahore DIG Investigation Kamran Adil serving as convener.
The second Joint Investigation Team is led by Senior Superintendent for Investigations (SSP) Aoush Masood and includes Senior Patrol Inspector (SI) Gulberg Ghulam Rasool, Inspector (Insp.) Zahid Saleem from PS Gulberg, and SI Incharge (SI) Ghalib Market Furqan Mehmood.
Similar senior police personnel participated on the other JITs.
Each JIT will look at all of the day’s filed FIRs.
The research and geo-fencing processes carried on through Friday as well.
