Bulldozer raid on Khan’s home as he keeps court date
Arrest warrant for ex-prime minister halted but protests disrupt hearing
AN ARREST warrant against Imran Khan, the former Pakistani prime minister, was cancelled yesterday after a day of drama in which police broke into his home using a bulldozer.
The former cricketing star had been facing arrest for skipping several court hearings over charges that he failed to declare gifts received during his time as premier, or the profit made from selling them.
The 70-year-old has been tangled in a slew of court cases since he was ousted in a no-confidence motion last April. He has been pressuring the fragile coalition government that replaced him to hold early elections despite being disqualified from parliament in October for making “false statements and incorrect declarations” regarding the gifts.
This week, Mr Khan’s supporters fought pitched battles with police who were sent to arrest him at his home in the eastern city of Lahore after he failed to appear in court once again.
Yesterday he finally travelled to the Islamabad court complex, but was unable to get out of his car after about 4,000 supporters turned up and pelted police officers with stones and bricks. Officers responded with tear gas.
The court accepted Mr Khan’s attendance, however, according to his lawyers.
“All those who have gathered here should disperse. There is no need for shelling or pelting, the hearing cannot be held today, “said Zafar Iqbal, the presiding judge.
The court adjourned the case until March 30 and ordered Mr Khan to be present in person again.
Dozens of supporters of the former prime minister were arrested in Lahore after police violently raided Mr Khan’s Zaman Park residence just minutes after he left.
Hundreds of officers in riot gear cordoned off the area and bulldozered the main entrance to break into the fortified compound. Inside, police found masks, petrol-filled bottles, iron rods and batons, according to Suhail Sukhera, the senior police officer who led the operation.
Nearly 70 members of Mr Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-eInsaf (PTI) were beaten and whisked away to police stations. The Lahore High Court granted permission to police to search the Zaman Park residence as part of an investigation into attacks on officers earlier this week.
“The police went in heavily armed, they broke through the front door and broke the walls of the house as if they were going to attack the enemy combatant,” said Dr Shireen Mazari, an aide to the politician.
“Police forced their way into Imran’s house without any arrest warrant. They ransacked the house and thrashed the people inside,” added Mr Khan’s sister Dr Uzma Khanum.
During his road trip to Islamabad, Mr Khan said in a video message that the government had planned his arrest despite knowing he was travelling to a hearing.
He said police had broken into his residence in Lahore while his wife was alone at the home. He has since filed a contempt case against the police, saying the raid was illegal.