Pakistani Police Arrest Dozens Of Supporters Of Former PM Imran Khan

Former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan. (Twitter/@ImranKhanPTI)

JAKARTA - Pakistani police arrested dozens of supporters and aides to former Prime Minister Imran Khan in a raid on two cities, part of a crackdown on those involved in recent clashes with security forces, Khan's party and police said on Monday.

Supporters of the Khan party, Pakistan Tereek-e-Insaf (PTI), clashed with police in the city of Lahore last week as they tried to arrest him at his home, and then with police in Islamabad when he arrived in court on Saturday.

"About 285 PTI supporters have been arrested in Lahore and Islamabad. All the main leaders' houses were raided by police last night," Khan's aide, Fawad Chaudhry, told Reuters.

Meanwhile, police in Lahore and Islamabad confirmed the raids and arrests of PTI workers deemed involved in clashes with police and arson.

"The police raided the houses because seven cases with various charges, including terrorism, have been imposed on leaders and workers," Lahore police chief Bilal Kamiana told Reuters, referring to clashes with police.

He explained that around 125 activists had been arrested in Lahore, including some of them last week.

In Islamabad, a police spokesman said about 198 PTI supporters had been arrested in connection with the arson and attack on police that left 58 people injured and more than a dozen vehicles, including several police cars, on fire.

More raids are underway, the spokesman said.

مجرموں کی اس سرکار کے ہاتھوں قید کئے جانے والے اپنے کارکنان کا معاملہ آج عدالتوں ہی میں نہیں بلکہ انسانی حقوق کی عالمی تنظیموں کے سامنے بھی اٹھائیں گے۔ دنیا بھرمیں تحریک انصاف کے ذمہ داران اپنے منتخب مقامی نمائندوں اور سیاستدانوں کو پاکستان میں جاری اس فسطائیت سےآگاہ کریں۔ pic.twitter.com/nkOZy2lSQ0

— Imran Khan (@ImranKhanPTI) March 20, 2023

He said the police had also gone to the house of a pTI senator who was in office, Shibli Faraz, with a search warrant, but the senator was not at home.

It is known that serving as prime minister from 2018 to 2022, Khan was ousted by voting in parliament. Since then he has demanded rapid elections and held protests across the country to suppress his case.

His successor as prime minister, Shehbaz Sharif, has rejected his request and said that elections will be held on schedule, at the end of this year.

Khan, 70, himself is facing several legal cases, including one that prompted an attempt to arrest him who failed on Tuesday last week, after the court issued a warrant for his arrest for not attending court.

Clashes between Khan's supporters and security forces have brought about a new chapter of political turmoil in Pakistan, which is in the midst of a crippling economic crisis.

Khan said the ruling government and military were trying to prevent him from participating in the next general election, which was scheduled for November. Meanwhile, both the government and the military deny this.

If found guilty in a case, Khan could face disqualification from the vote.

Being a figure that many people remember for his success as a cricketer and then for his charity activities, Khan won a lot of support among voters with his conservative and nationalist policies.