Islamabad, Mar 16,2023: An Islamabad court said on Thursday that police cannot sit idle when warrants were issued for March 18 — as the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) moved the trial court seeking relief for the party’s chairman, Imran Khan.
The party approached the Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Tuesday requesting it to suspend Khan’s non-bailable arrest warrants in the Toshakhana case, but the high court directed the deposed prime minister’s counsel to provide the undertaking to the trial court as the order for his arrest was “in line with the law”.
Additional Sessions Judge Zafar Iqbal presided over today’s hearing where Khan’s counsel provided the court with two options — either suspend the issued warrants or issue bailable arrest warrants.
Meanwhile, the situation at Khan’s Zaman Park residence is seemingly calm following the Lahore High Court’s (LHC) orders of stopping the police operation till 10:30am today.
PTI workers and police clashed for nearly 24 hours as Zaman Park virtually became a battleground, with the law enforcers trying to get through supporters and arrest Khan, who was voted out as the prime minister last April.
Scores of people — including police personnel and PTI workers — were injured in the process as the law enforcers fired teargas and party supporters resorted to throwing Molotov cocktails.
Legal proceedings against Khan began after he was ousted from office in a parliamentary vote early last year. Since then, he has held nationwide protest rallies demanding a snap election, during one of which he was shot and wounded.
