Police raid former Pakistani PM’s home — RT World News
The raid took place as Imran Khan was on his way to court to face charges of illegally selling state gifts.
Pakistani police raided the home of former Prime Minister Imran Khan on Saturday as he traveled to the capital, Islamabad, to appear in court in a corruption case. The raid turned violent when police clashed with Khan’s supporters.
Footage shared on social media shows officers breaking down the main gate of the former prime minister’s residence in Lahore, in the east of the country. Another clip posted by Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party on Twitter appears to show police brutally beating supporters with sticks and truncheons.
Pakistani officials say 30 people were arrested in the raid as they moved to clear the blockade set up by Khan’s supporters near his home. Suhail Sukhera, the officer in charge of the operation, said the militants resisted by throwing stones and Molotov cocktails.
“Punjab Police carried out an attack on my house in Zaman Park where Bushra Begum is alone. Under what law are they doing this? » tweeted the former prime minister, referring to his wife.
He also claimed that the raid was carried out, not to ensure he would appear in court, “but was intended to take me to jail so that I would be unable to run our election campaign.”
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Pakistani High Court suspends arrest warrant against ex-PM
The raid came after several days of clashes with Khan’s supporters around the house, as police attempted to arrest the embattled politician for failing to appear in court. Later, however, the arrest warrant was suspended by the Pakistani High Court.
In a tweet on Saturday, Khan claimed the government intended to arrest him. He added that “Despite knowing their dishonest intentions, I am going to Islamabad and to court because I believe in the rule of law.”
Khan, who became prime minister in 2018, was ousted in 2022 in a vote of no confidence and is embroiled in dozens of legal disputes. He is notably accused of illegally selling state gifts worth around $2 million given to him by foreign dignitaries while in office. He denied the allegations, saying they were politically motivated.
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