LHC extends bar on police action at Imran’s Zaman Park residence till 3pm

As PTI supporters continued to stand guard outside party chairman Imran Khan’s residence, the Lahore High Court extended on Friday the bar on police action at Zaman Park till 3pm today.

Embroiled in legal complexities, Imran has been resisting arrest in the Toshakhana case and is holed up inside his Zaman Park residence surrounded by hundreds of supporters, who have fought “pitched battles” with the police and Rangers over the past few days.

Key developments so far:

• LHC extends bar on police action at Zaman Park till 3pm today
• PTI supporters stand guard outside party chairman’s residence to prevent possible arrest
• Imran challenges trial court verdict in IHC, petition to be taken up shorty
• PTI chief says he will appear before Islamabad sessions court on March 18
• Rana Sanaullah says the government will follow due legal process regarding Imran’s arrest

The Islamabad police, backed up by their Punjab Police compatriots and the Rangers, arrived at the ex-premier’s house on Tuesday to execute non-bailable arrest warrants issued by an Islamabad sessions court for him in the Toshakhana reference — in which he has skipped several hearings.

However, the law enforcement agencies retreated on Wednesday evening, saying that the operation had been paused during the ongoing Pakistan Super League (PSL). Separately, the LHC had also intervened and postponed the operation.

A day earlier, an Islamabad sessions court — where PTI had gone for the suspension of Imran’s arrest warrants — upheld the warrants that it issued, observing that the PTI chief had “challenged the dignity and writ of the state”.

It also maintained its order to arrest the ex-premier and present him in court by March 18.

On Friday, Dawn.com’s correspondent present outside Zaman Park said that police were not present in the vicinity, but hordes of PTI supporters outside Imran’s house were armed with sticks and stones, prepared for any police operation.

Simultaneously, the LHC resumed hearing the petition — filed by PTI leader Fawad Chaudhry — regarding the police operation outside Imran’s residence.

The court previously twice stopped the police operation outside Imran’s residence and instructed the Punjab police and PTI to sit together and resolve the matter after consultation.

Ahead of the hearing today, Chaudhry tweeted that both parties have “agreed to resolve the issues” and the agreed solution will be presented in court today.

As the hearing commenced, Chaudhry praised the judge, saying “you have saved Pakistan and Lahore in the last two days.”

“You have saved lives with your intervention,” he added.

The PTI leader stated that his party delegation had a meeting with the Punjab police chief and chief secretary to discuss matters related to PTI Chairman Imran Khan’s security.

Chaudhry stated that the Punjab government had assured the delegation that due security would be provided to the PTI chief. He also informed the court that the PTI’s public gathering at the Minar-e-Pakistan, originally planned for Sunday, would be held on Monday instead.

Furthermore, he told the court that a plea for protective bail for the party chief had been filed.

The judge then pointed out that there were two separate matters. “One of them is being heard in the Islamabad High Court and the other in a trial court,” he said, questioning how his court could hear the matter.

“We request that the police not arrest our workers,” he added, addressing the IG.

The judge remarked that those who committed “injustice,” regardless of their affiliation, must be dealt with according to the law. “We have cameras everywhere, and the faces of those who commit wrongdoing can be easily identified,” Justice Sheikh added.

The PTI lawyer told the judge: “We want our client to visit you for the hearing of his plea.”

“It is possible that the case may not be assigned to me,” the judge responded.

The provincial police chief told the court that the PTI had agreed to nominate a focal person, adding the police also told them that no area would be allowed to be turned into a “no-go” zone.

The judge asked the PTI leader to follow proper legal procedures if their legitimate demands were not met.

The IGP requested the court to issue directions on how to execute search warrants.

The advocate general of Punjab informed the court that the police did not have access to Zaman Park to carry out legal formalities.

Chaudhry argued that the police were seeking permission to arrest people. “They [law enforcers] have filed one FIR against 2,500 people,” he said.

PTI lawyer Khawaja Tariq Rahim informed the court that two warrants had been issued, one against Imran and the other against Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah.

He then asked the police chief to update the court on the non-implementation of the warrant issued for Sanaullah. The lawyer assured the court that his client would appear before it.

The IGP reiterated his request to visit Zaman Park.

“How will you satisfy them?” Justice Sheikh asked the IG and then asked all parties concerned to sit together and find a solution.

After hearing arguments, Justice Sheikh said that the case would be heard again at 3pm. As a result, the bar on police action in Zaman Park was extended for another three hours.

PTI challenges trial court’s verdict in IHC

Earlier today, the former prime minister filed yet another petition in the Islamabad High Court (IHC) challenging the verdict of the trial court.

After Imran skipped multiple hearings in the Toshakhana case, the trial court had issued non-bailable arrest warrants for Imran and instructed police to present him in court on March 7. The PTI chief managed to dodge the arrest and later approached the IHC for the cancellation of the warrants.

The IHC, while granting some relief to Imran, had told him to appear in the sessions court by March 13, but the former prime minister once again skipped the hearing. Resultantly, ADSJ Iqbal had on Monday re-issued non-bailable arrest warrants for Imran and directed the police to bring him to court by March 18.

The PTI then challenged the latest arrest warrants issued for Imran in the IHC. It rejected the plea and directed the PTI chief to submit an undertaking to the trial court which states he would attend the hearing on March 18. However, the trial rejected the plea and the undertaking.

In the latest petition filed today, Imran prayed that the trial court’s order be set aside and his arrest warrants be suspended “till the final disposal of the petition” so that the PTI chief could appear in court on March 18.

Dawn.com has learnt that the IHC registrar has raised objections to the plea, saying that the court could not take up a petition that has already been heard.

However, later in the day, the petition was fixed for hearing. The proceedings will be conducted by IHC Chief Justice Aamer Farooq.

Will appear in court in person on March 18: Imran

In an interview with France 24 on Thursday night, Imran asserted that he would appear before the Islamabad sessions court in person on March 18.

“Yes, of course I’m going to court on the 18th,” Imran said when the host asked him if would be going to court tomorrow. “And they knew it.”

The PTI chief described the events outside his residence in the last few days as a “battle”, saying that “nearly 5,000 police and Rangers” personnel had arrived at Zaman Park to arrest him “without any reason”.

“I have obtained protective bail, which means that the police cannot arrest me before March 18, yet they came to arrest me … I felt like I was a terrorist,” he said. “So a clash erupted between my supporters and the police.

“I decided to give them [the police] a surety bond that I will appear in court on March 18 but they refused to take it because they were determined to arrest me and it was for the wrong cause,” Imran claimed.

He went on to say that the incumbent government wanted him to get arrested because they were scared of the upcoming elections in Punjab on April 30 and “wanted to put me in jail before that”.

“My house was a battle zone … they used tear gas, rubber bullets and bullets, water cannons … this has never happened in Pakistan before … no political leader has suffered such an attack.

“The level of victimisation going on in this country is unprecedented,” Imran added, reiterating that the main reason behind the arrest attempts was that “they don’t want me to compete in the elections”.

Govt to follow due judicial process: Sanaullah

Meanwhile, explaining the government’s thought process behind the recent events, Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah said that the “strategy employed” was aimed at creating an “environment” in which the PTI chief would be induced to appear in court.

Talking to Geo News on Friday morning, he said: “More than aiming for [Imran’s] arrest, we have to create an environment in which it would be made clear that the court has called you (Imran) and [then] you appear there.”

He predicted that the PTI will appear in court on March 18. “If he does not appear [in court], then it is possible that we might have to change our strategy a bit.”

Sanaullah also said that in such a case, the PML-N would take Imran to court itself and “from there, the court will punish him”.

“We will also make sure that the judicial process is fair,” he added.