Pakistan Police register terrorism case against ex-PM Imran, PTI leaders

Pakistan Police on Sunday registered a terrorism case against Imran Khan and over a dozen PTI leaders for indulging in vandalism attacking security personnel and creating unrest outside the judicial complex here ahead of a court hearing in a graft case involving the ousted premierClashes erupted outside the Islamabad Judicial Complex on Saturday when Khan arrived in Islamabad from Lahore to attend a muchawaited hearing in the Toshakhana caseDuring the confrontation between Pakistan TehreekeInsaf PTI workers and police over 25 security personnel were injured prompting Additional District and Sessions Judge Zafar Iqbal to defer the court hearing till March 30The case was registered against arrested PTI workers and wanted party leaders About 17 PTI leaders were named in the FIR lodged by the Islamabad Police Geo News reportedThe FIR states that the workers damaged the police check post and the main gate of the judicial complex it saidAs many as 18 people were arrested for arson pelting stones and breaking the judicial complexs building said the FIRAbout two police vehicles and seven motorcycles were burned and the official vehicle of the station house officer SHO was damaged it addedKhan 70 arrived in Islamabad from Lahore to appear before the court He was accompanied by his supporters in a convoySoon after he departed for Islamabad to attend the hearing over 10000 armed Punjab police personnel stormed Khans Zaman Park residence in Lahore and arrested dozens of his party workersThe police personnel using a power shovel removed the barricades and tents at the entrance of the Pakistan TehreekeInsaf PTI party chiefs residence and evicted hundreds of his supporters camping there to prevent Khans arrest in the Toshakhana caseThey conducted a search at the house after demolishing its main gate and walls Punjab Police whose action ended later were reportedly met with resistance from PTI workers from inside resulting in violence About 10 workers were reportedly injured in the police operation in LahoreAlso Read Pakistan rangers fire bullets on people outside former PM Imran Khanrsquos residencePTI leader Fawad Chaudhry said on Sunday said the party will get cases registered against police officers involved in the illegal operations and violence at Khans residenceToday a meeting of the legal team has been called The way in which the police defied the Lahore High Courts decision entering Imran Khans residence has trampled every rule of the homes sanctity things were stolen They also took away juice boxes Innocent people were subjected to torture he tweetedDefying court order is unforgivable The high court should guard its judgment Cases are being registered on all police officers who conducted illegal operations and were involved in violence he saidEarlier Khan appeared before Lahore High Court on Friday and assured that he was ready to present himself on Saturday before Additional District and Sessions Judge ADSJ Iqbal handling the corruption case against himThe PTI chief has been in the dock for buying gifts including an expensive Graff wristwatch he had received as the premier at a discounted price from the state depository called Toshakhana and selling them for profitEstablished in 1974 the Toshakhana is a department under the administrative control of the Cabinet Division and stores precious gifts given to rulers parliamentarians bureaucrats and officials by heads of other governments and states and foreign dignitariesThe cricketerturnedpolitician was disqualified by the Election Commission of Pakistan ECP in October last year for not sharing details of the sales The top electoral body later filed a complaint with the district court to punish him under criminal laws for selling the gifts he had received as prime minister of the countryKhan was ousted from power in April last year after losing a noconfidence vote becoming the first Pakistani prime minister to be voted out by the National AssemblyThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever