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(MANEND NEWS): Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief Imran Khan announced before a crowd gathered at Zaman Park that his ‘jihad for true freedom’ will continue on, hours after police claimed he was avoiding arrest.
Islamabad police on Sunday travelled to Lahore to arrest Imran in relation to warrants issued in the Toshakhana (gift repository) case against him.
According to police sources, the former premier is avoiding arrest.
SP City Rana Hussain Tahir went to the room in Imran’s Zaman Park’s residence where the PTI chairman was expected to be but he was not there when the police arrived.
Addressing PTI leaders from his residence, however, Imran said that he had invited them “to express gratitude” towards them and not to “build his own confidence”.
Equating his cause with a holy mission, Imran stressed he was “not going to bow in front of anyone and nor allow anyone else [from his party and supporters] to do so”.
He also claimed that he was not behind the cases registered against the PDM leaders while implying that the same was not true in his case.
Imran claimed that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah and “Dirty Harry” were still in power and that another plan to assassinate him had been hatched.
“I went to Lahore and Islamabad high court and there was no security,” he claimed while adding that his legal team was to pen a letter to the Chief Justice of Pakistan to take notice of the matter.
“It seems as though the ones who should be responsible to provide safety are the real danger,” he said as he amped up his rhetoric against Shehbaz, Sanaullah and “Dirty Harry” in particular.
Terming the cases against him as “comical” Imran also called for a public trial of his Toshakhana case.
“Your and your children’s future is very bleak,” he said taking note of the state of the country’s economy as well as the condition of rule of law.
Imran also thanked all ‘Jail Bharo’ movement participants for having made him proud.
PTI threatens mass protest
Meanwhile, PTI senior leader Fawad Chaudhry has urged all PTI supporters to converge outside Imran’s Lahore residence and he told media outside Zaman Park that the purpose of calling Imran to these courts was to “attempt yet another attack on him”.
“They want that he [Imran] comes to court and the terrorist — who are of their own making — get a chance to take Imran Khan’s life,” he said alleging that the government was behind the assassination plot.
He also said that both the federal and the caretaker Punjab governments wanted “to cause anarchy so that polls can be ducked” and “we are dealing with the legal matters as per law in the courts”.
In the same breath he said that if the PTI chief is arrested, nationwide peaceful protests would be called “the likes of which nobody has ever seen before”.
Earlier, Fawad warned that “any attempt to arrest Imran Khan will seriously worsen the situation”.
Urging the government to “act sensibly” and “not push Pakistan into further crisis”, he stressed that the arrest would be “illegal”.
“The court warrant is only for attendance,” he said, “Islamabad police’s insistence on arrest is illegal”.
PTI Vice Chairman Shah Mahmood Qureshi has also told reporters outside Imran’s Lahore residence that while Islamabad police’s notice has been received, “there are no orders for arrest in it”.
On the other hand, the ICT police has issued a statement on Twitter stating that it is acting as per court orders and “all operations are being completed with the cooperation of Lahore Police”.
“Legal action will be taken against those obstructing the execution of court orders,” the police said.
“Police will transfer Imran Khan to Islamabad under their protection. Law is equal for all,” the statement added.
Last week, a district and sessions court in Islamabad had issued non-bailable arrest warrants for the ousted prime minister over his continuous absence before the judge in the Toshakhana case.
Though Imran had travelled to Islamabad to appear before different courts in the capital on Tuesday, however, his lawyer had requested Additional Sessions Judge Zafar Iqbal to allow him a leave of absence another time.
Imran’s lawyer had argued that he was unable to present Imran before the court. However, he had added that if his client managed to leave the judicial complex in time, he would appear before the court.
It may be noted that the sessions court, where the PTI chief had to appear in the Toshakhana reference and an attempted murder case, is located in F-8 Kachehri, which is around a half-an-hour drive away from the judicial complex.
Judge Iqbal, irked by the lawyer’s statement, had expressed his dismay that Imran could appear before other courts in the judicial complex but not in this one.
“Charges are going to be framed here so he should appear here. Once they have been framed he may leave,” the judge had added.
The court later went into recess.
After the proceedings had resumed, the judge, while issuing the non-bailable warrants, had adjourned the hearing till March 7.