March 14, 2023, Lahore: Several people were injured in clashes between police and former Prime Minister Imran Khan supporters in Lahore as law enforcers attempted to arrest the ex-premier on Tuesday, with Khan urging his followers to “come out.”
The development comes a day after an Islamabad court issued Khan’s non-bailable arrest warrants in a case related to the sale of state gifts. A six-member team of Islamabad police is currently visiting Lahore to arrest Khan.
Television footage from outside Khan’s Zaman Park residence in Lahore showed the Punjab police in anti-riot gear backing their Islamabad counterparts and clearing the road of Khan’s supporters.
Aerial shots showed the heavy presence of law enforcement personnel around Khan’s residence and tear gas billowing from shells fired inside his home. Charged supporters of Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party could also be seen pelting stones at the police, with several of them being arrested in the process.
Police on Tuesday fired tear gas, and water cannon as hundreds of supporters of Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party gathered outside his residence. Police said they would arrest him by the end of Tuesday.
Speaking to Al Jazeera from his home, Khan said the arrest attempt was “totally illegal” and politically motivated. “The government want to remove me from the electoral contest because the popularity of my party petrifies them,” he said.
