Imran Khan condemns police charging on his supporters
Amidst the violent clash between the Pakistan police and the supporters of Imran Khan outside the former prime minister’s residence in Lahore, Imran Khan said, “The way police attacked our people, there is no example of this. What is the reason for attacking a small number of people like this?” According to the media reports, several people from both sides were severely injured during the clash.
Imran Khan’s stance on his arrest & the clash
Ahead of his possible arrest, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief, Imran Khan said, “They are preparing again, I know. I have given an undertaking in the Lahore High Court that I will be in court on the 18th. But it was not accepted.”
اپنی قوم کے لئے میرا پیغام!pic.twitter.com/Dv3i9X0S1J
— Imran Khan (@ImranKhanPTI) March 14, 2023
While condemning the police for charging the supporters with batons and teargas shells, he said, “Why was it not taken? Because London is part of the plan. Nawaz Sharif has been given assurance that me and my party will be attacked and pulled down.”
Reason behind the clash
Taking notes from the clash, The supporters of Imran Khan gathered outside his house as a police team arrived from Islamabad to arrest him on a court order Imran Khan called on his supporters to stand up for the supremacy of law and fight for true independence.
“Police have come to arrest and send me to jail. If something happens to me or sent to jail, or they kill me, you’ve to prove that this nation will continue to struggle even without Imran Khan,” he said in a video-recorded statement following the violence.
The arrest warrant was issued in a case against Imran Khan for unlawfully selling state gifts while in power from 2018 to 2022.
I’m mentally prepared: Imran Khan
Following the clashes between the police and the PTI supporters over Imran’s possible Toshakhana case arrest, the PTI chief told Al Jazeera, “I’m mentally prepared. I’m already that they would come in and recipe tonight because there’s a huge force outside. They have not just the police, they’ve got the rangers there too, which is the army. And it seems as if Pakistan’s biggest terrorist is holed up inside. So I think they are determined the reason why they want to rescue is not that they’re worried about the rule of law, because the biggest criminals are right now sitting in government. 60 per cent of the cabinet is on bail on corruption cases.”
He also added, “It’s because they want to remove me from the electoral contest because they are petrified of the popularity of my party. It won out of 37 by-elections, and it swept 30 elections. So all opinion, according to all opinion polls, we would sweep this upcoming election and that’s why they want me removed from the scene.”
This interview followed Imran’s call to his supporters to “come out” on the streets after police resorted to using tear gas shells and water cannons on PTI supporters outside Zaman Park.
