—– Provincial Info Minister says 8 ‘terrorists’ involved in vandalism at Lahore Corps Commander’s house fleeing Zaman Park arrested
—– PTI Chief claims Punjab police were planning to bring 30-40 people, ‘accuse me for harboring terrorists’
—– Commends party members resisting ‘extreme pressure’ to quit PTI
From Abid Usman
LAHORE: Punjab Interim Information Minister Amir Mir has said that the Punjab police will send a “delegation” to Za-man Park today (Friday) to search PTI Chairman Imran Khan’s house, after seeking permission from the ex-premier.
The delegation, he said, would be led by the commissioner of Lahore. Mir elaborated that the team will set a time with Imran and then search his house in the presence of cameras.
The minister, in an interview, further stated that police contingents, of nearly 400 cops, would also accompany the delegation “to arrest terrorists holed up there”. Amir Mir has said that the police have arrested eight “terrorists” allegedly holed up inside PTI Chairman Imran Khan’s residence.
“Fifteen minutes back a meeting has ended. Today in the morning, eight terrorists holed up inside Zaman Park were arrested. They were trying to flee Zaman Park.
“They are being interrogated now to gain information about what is happening inside and who is in there,” he said.
Mir claimed that these “terrorists” were the same who had attacked the Lahore Corps Commander’s House, adding that police had traced them through geo-fencing.
Meanwhile, as a number of PTI leaders jump ship, former prime minister Imran Khan has said that he commended and saluted the senior leadership of the party for resisting “extreme pressure” to leave the PTI.
“My sympathies go to all those who under pressure have been made to leave the party,” he tweeted.
Taking to twitter, the PTI Chief asked “when the illegal caretaker Punjab govt announced that 40 terrorists were hiding in my house. Should they not have named them”?
“The reason they didn’t was because what they were planning was to bring 30-40 people with them and then accuse me for harboring terrorists just like last time when they broke into my house through an armoured car and then plant-ed Kalashnikov and petrol bombs”, he said.
“All this that they [the government] is doing has never been seen before in the history of the country,” PTI chief Imran Khan has said, referring to the oppression of his party members.
“Efforts to eliminate PTI have been under way for over a year now. But all what they are doing is just strengthening the party,” he said.
“Several of our members are leaving the party. I don’t know many of them, but I am particularly saddened by Aamer Mehmood Kiani — who worked really hard for the party — parting ways with the PTI.
“But there is immense pressure on them and everyone cannot bear this pressure. So I ask people not to criticise them. “The pressure they are facing today was never faced before by politicians in this country’s history.”
Meanwhile, The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) has condemned the re-arrest of PTI leaders who were earlier released by courts.
“This tactic has been used by previous governments, including the PTI, to bully opposition leaders into submission,” it tweeted. “In either case, it reflects political vindictiveness weakly justified as allowing the law to take its course.”
