Pakistan: Police and Supporters Clash over Imran Khan's Arrest
Clashes erupted between Imran Khan’s supporters and the Pakistan police when they went to arrest Khan.
In October 2022, Imran Khan, former Prime Minister of Pakistan was found guilty by Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) Pakistan’s Toshkhana - Treasury, is a place where all the gifts received by public officials are kept. It is a rule to report these to the government. The only people who are allowed to keep the gifts are the President and the Prime Minister of the country. They can keep gifts that cost less than PKR 30,000. In exchange, they must pay a percentage of their value to the government. Imran Khan was found resisting information about the presents he received during his time. He was found unlawfully selling gifts to foreign dignitaries. Though Khan admitted to selling four presents from Toshakhana but also said that he bought them from the government by paying a percentage of their value. As per ECP estimates, Khan made a profit of PKR 105 million on the gifts he retained and sold.
Arrest warrants were issued for Imran Khan after he failed to appear in courts in cases linked to the Toshakhana reference. The PTI chief was supposed to appear before the court but Imran's lawyers filed petitions seeking an exemption from the hearings citing security reasons. Also Khan has been recovering from a gunshot injury from a recent assassination attempt and so skipped hearings in several cases.
An Islamabad police team was sent to Lahore to arrest Imran with the court summons. However when the police came to arrest Khan, his supporters threw bricks at police who fought back with clubs and tear gas. This happened for 2 days in a row. Khan later posed for cameras seated at a long table, showing piles of spent tear gas shells he said had been collected from around his home. “What crime did I commit that my house has been attacked like this. In a video message he said, "The police have arrived to arrest me. They think that if Imran Khan goes to jail, the people will go to sleep. You have to fight for your rights, you have to hit the streets. I have fought all my life and will continue to do so. But if something happens to me, they put me in jail or kill me, you have to prove that you will never accept this slavery and this rule by one man. Pakistan zindabad. People were confused as Khan said he cannot attend court proceedings due to security reasons. But then he agreed to get arrested.
