Marriyum Aurangzeb claims GB's force used against Punjab police

ISLAMABAD: The Federal minister for information and broadcasting Marriyum Aurangzeb has claimed that Gilgit Baltistan force used against Punjab police in PTI chairman Imran Khan’s possible arrest from his Zaman park Lahore residence, ARY News reported on Wednesday.

While addressing a press conference federal information minister Marriyum Aurangzeb distanced the Federal Government from PTI chairman Imran Khan’s arrest she said if they wanted to arrest him then the government would have arrested him with state force.

She said that Imran Khan is giving the impression that the government want to arrest him to kill him but he is being summoned by the court.

The federal minister claimed that police have no weapons and they are just implementing the court orders and over. 65 Rangers and police injured personnel are admitted to hospitals, she added.

She maintained that if the PTI chairman Imran Khan is not afraid of getting arrested then he should present himself for arrest as the former prime minister Nawaz Sharif and PML-N chief organiser Maryam Nawaz came to Pakistan from London to present themselves for arrest.

Earlier, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman and former prime minister Imran Khan claimed the real intent of the LEAs behind the entire episode was to “abduct and assassinate” him.

In a series of Tweets, Imran Khan wrote: “Clearly arrest claim was mere drama because the real intent is to abduct & assassinate. From tear gas & water cannons, they have now resorted to live firing.”

Police, PTI workers clash continues

More contingents have reached PTI Chairman Imran Khan’s Zaman Park residence — where a stand-off between party supporters and law enforcers has been going on for more than 20 hours — for the former prime minister’s arrest in the Toshakhana case.

A tense situation prevailed in Lahore in the early hours of Wednesday as police made a fresh attempt to arrest former prime minister Imran Khan but they were facing resistance from hundreds of his supporters gathered outside his residence in Zaman Park.

The police failed to arrest the former premier despite the passage of 19 hours as PTI workers laid siege to the path leading to Imran Khan’s residence as well as Canal Road.

The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) workers and supporters on Tuesday night took control of Zaman Park Lahore following an hours-long face-off with police, who arrived to arrest former prime minister Imran Khan.

Zaman park operation

It is pertinent to mention here that Islamabad police team on Tuesday reached Lahore to arrest Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Chairman Imran Khan after a district and sessions court issued his non-bailable arrest warrants for failing to attend the hearing in Toshakhana reference.

The court of ADSJ Zafar Iqbal restored non-bailable arrest warrants for Imran in the Toshakhana reference. It instructed the police to arrest the PTI chief and present him in court by March 18.

In a statement, the Islamabad police spokesperson said that they have reached Lahore to arrest PTI chief on court orders. Later, party workers and police officials clashed outside his Zaman Park residence in Lahore.

The Islamabad police used water cannons and tear gas to disperse PTI workers gathered outside party chief Imran Khan’s Zaman Park residence in Lahore.