Islamabad, March 7. Former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan remains at his residence surrounded by supporters on Tuesday after disobeying a court order that could lead to his arrest, his formation alert to summon supporters if authorities try to arrest the charismatic leader.
The 70-year-old Pakistani cricketer-turned-politician remains at his residence in the eastern city of Lahore, surrounded by his closest aides and with around 100 members of Pakistan’s Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party guarding the entrance to the possible arrival of the police, a training source confirmed to EFE.
Khan decided not to appear in court in Islamabad, alleging threats to his life, due to alleged assassination attempts.
The opposition leader has been absent from at least three summonses in recent months, for various reasons, often alleging health problems after suffering an assassination attempt last November which injured both his legs.
Since then, he has denounced that figures of power in the country were planning another attack against him.
The court had issued a warrant for his arrest without bail last Sunday, for authorities to secure his appearance today, but this could not be executed as hundreds of supporters arrived at Khan’s residence and prevented the entry of officers.
“There are Imran Khan’s supporters present at the residence, but more may be summoned if the police return,” one of Khan’s PTI leaders, Hammad Azhar, told EFE today.
Although, Azhar said, the former prime minister is not afraid of being arrested, he wondered “who would keep him safe in custody if those he blamed for the assassination attempt are the ones who want to stop him”.
For their part, leaders of Pakistan’s ruling Muslim Nawaz League and their allies have urged the former prime minister to be brought to justice.
Khan and his defense team are now awaiting a petition filed today in the Islamabad High Court to suspend the arrest warrants, the former prime minister’s lawyer, Faisal Chaudhry, told EFE.
A similar measure was already rejected yesterday by another court.
Khan had to specifically respond today to an accusation of failing to deliver the gifts received at the Toshakhana, a government depository where gifts received from foreign officials are kept, without first paying the required 50% of their appraised value to the in case he wants to keep them.
Khan was ousted from office in a vote of no confidence last April, a move the former leader says was engineered by powerful military officials with help from Washington. EFE
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