A team of senior police officers, led by Lahore’s commissioner, visited the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) chief’s Zaman Park residence after the authorities received search warrants from an anti-terrorism court.
After the team left, Imran’s chief security officer Iftikhar Ghuman told journalists that the Punjab police had returned “empty-handed”. “The only thing they got here was tea and biscuits,” Ghuman said.
“We opened the doors of the house for them in front of you (mediapersons). Now, you ask them what they got,” he added.
However, the interim information minister of Punjab province, Amir Mir, rejected reports that the former PM’s residence was raided and said the government team was sent there to finalise “SOPs for the search of the house”.
The 70-year-old PTI leader hit out at the “unprecedented crackdown” on his party and its supporters in a tweet on Friday. “The mindset behind this unprecedented crackdown and current reign of terror that PTI and its supporters are being subjected to (that was not even witnessed during Zia and Musharraf martial laws) is that we Pakistanis are like a herd of sheep who can be terrorised enough to meekly bow down to this naked show of power,” Imran said.
“Well, we won’t because we are humans and ‘ummat’ (followers) of the greatest leader of all times, who made us pledge to Allah that we will bow to no one except Him (Almighty),” he added.
The authorities launched a crackdown on PTI workers and leaders after they torched public property and defence installations Imran’s arrest on May 9.
The PTI claims that more than 7,000 party leaders and workers, including women, had been arrested and tortured in custody.
In a chat with journalists, Imran said he has had “no dialogue” with the (military) establishment since violent protests broke out in the country. “The current army chief clearly has some problems with me,” the PTI chief said.
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Former Pakistan PM Imran Khan: ‘Even under Musharraf’s regime, I haven’t seen such high-handedness’