PTI to file cases against police officers over Zaman Park raid: Fawad

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Senior Vice President Fawad Chaudhry said that the party will register cases against police officers involved in the "illegal operation and violence" during a raid to arrest former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan in his Zaman Park residence in Lahore, Geo News reported.

Former Punjab chief minister and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf president Chaudhry Parvez Elahi termed police raid at Zaman Park a grave violation of the Lahore High court orders and said that the police operation in Zaman Park was carried out on the direction of Maryam Nawaz and Rana Sanaullah.

The PTI leadership has strongly condemned the "state terrorism" launched at the residence of party chairman Imran Khan which they said was "part of a London Plan to eliminate him".

Taking to his official Twitter handle, Fawad Chaudhry stated, "Today, a meeting of the legal team has been called. The way in which the police defied the Lahore High Court's decision entering Imran Khan's residence has trampled every rule of the home's sanctity. [things were] stolen. [They] also took away juice boxes. Innocent people were subjected to torture."

In a tweet, Fawad Chaudhry wrote, "Defying court order is unforgivable. The high court should guard its judgment. Cases are being registered on all police officers who conducted illegal operations and were involved in violence," according to Geo News report.

He noted that all the incidents indicate an ongoing constitutional crisis in Pakistan. The statement of the senior PTI leader comes a day after the Punjab Police resumed operation at Imran Khan's residence and arrested several party workers.

The action of the police came after PTI Chairman Imran Khan left for the Islamabad Judicial Complex to appear before a court, as per the Geo News report.

On March 18, Imran Khan also reacted to the police action at his residence on his official Twitter handle. PTI chairman tweeted, "Meanwhile Punjab police have led an assault on my house in Zaman Park where Bushra Begum is alone. Under what law are they doing this? This is part of London Plan where commitments were made to bring absconder Nawaz Sharif to power as quid pro quo for agreeing to one appointment."

On March 18, Punjab Inspector General of Police (IGP) Usman Anwar said police had completed the search and cleanup operation in Zaman Park and seized AK-47 assault rifles and a large number of bullets from Imran Khan's residence in Lahore, as per the Geo News report.

Furthermore, glass bottles suspected to be used in making Molotov cocktails, and hundreds of marbles for being shot at police with slingshots were also taken from the PTI chairman's house.

Usman Anwar said five more Kalashnikovs were also found on Khan's property. In response to a question, he said that the legal status of the guns whether they were licensed or not was being evaluated.

More than 60 PTI workers were arrested from Imran Khan's residence and taken to an undisclosed location for further investigation, as per the news report. Usman Anwar alleged that his men came under direct fire from Khan's residence.

He said that police demolished several camps built outside Khan's house in Lahore. The Punjab government in Pakistan and the Imran Khan-led Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) had consented to let police search the ex-PM's Zaman Park residence here in relation to confrontations that occurred there on March 14 and 15 but the exact date of police operation was not annouced.

As soon as Imran Lhan left Zaman Park residence in Lahore on Saturday to appear before a judge in Islamabad, a heavy contingent of police launched a search operation at his house.

On Friday, the details were submitted to the Lahore High Court (LHC) during the hearing of a petition filed by PTI leader Fawad Chaudhry who had sought the court's intervention to stop the police action conducted to execute arrest warrants issued against Imran Khan in the Toshakhana case.

The agreement is related to the security of former Pakistan PM, holding rallies and other legal issues under which, PTI will cooperate in implementing the search and arrest warrants with the provincial administration.