Imran claims third assassination attempt hatched against him

LAHORE: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief Imran Khan informed the Lahore High Court on Tuesday that a "third assassination attempt" has been hatched against him, as per media reports.

During the proceedings, the PTI chief took to the rostrum and informed the court that he had earlier revealed that there will be an assassination attempt on him and everyone saw what happened in Wazirabad, The Express Tribune reported.

He claimed that a second attack was to be carried out against him in the Islamabad judicial complex, but luckily he remained safe.

He brought to the notice of the court that a fresh assassination plan has been hatched against him.

Khan claimed that while he wanted to appear before the courts, he was not provided adequate security nor was he allowed to appear by police officials - referring to the riots outside Islamabad's Judicial Complex during an earlier court appearance, The Express Tribune reported.

He alsoc alleged that a top intelligence officer was "behind the whole game", the report said.

Khan had filed a plea seeking direction to the quarters concerned to declare that the "unprecedented, repeated abuse and misuse of criminal law machinery of the state" to register criminal cases against him amounts to a violation of Section 154 of the CrPC 1898, "causing grave unlawful and illegal violation of the petitioner's fundamental rights under several articles of the Constitution of Pakistan".

The former premier appeared before the high court's larger bench headed by Justice Ali Baqar Najafi. The court directed Khan to join the investigation in the cases registered against him after deliberating with concerned quarters to decide whether he would appear before the investigating team or if the team would visit his Zaman Park residence.

The high court also rejected Khan's plea for interim relief and refused to restrain the authorities from registering new FIRs against him, The Express Tribune reported.