LAHORE: Punjab Police may launch a “grand operation” to nab “terrorists” allegedly holed up in Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan’s Zaman Park residence, sources told JEE News.
According to the police, all roads leading to Zaman Park have been blocked and a heavy presence of law enforcement agencies is in the area.
The Punjab government had given the PTI a 24-hour ultimatum to hand over the “terrorists” sheltered in the former prime minister’s house. The government had given PTI a deadline of 2 pm which has now expired.
Sources say that the ‘grand operation’ can be launched after the deadline.
Sources shared that the Inspector General of Police Punjab and the Capital City Police Officer (CCPO) have asked the police to be “vigilant”.
Punjab Caretaker Information Minister Aamir Mir said on Wednesday night that the provincial government has no plans to arrest PTI Chairman Imran Khan yet.
“First let the 24-hour deadline expire and then the government will reveal its plans,” the provincial minister said.
The minister’s comments came hours after the PTI chief expressed fear of arrest.
“Maybe my last tweet before my next arrest. Police have surrounded my house,” the PTI chief – who was ousted as prime minister in April last year – said in a tweet.
Aamir Mir added that Khan is inciting people like always. The Information Minister said that the PTI chief is lying.
In his presser earlier in the day, the minister had given PTI a 24-hour deadline to hand over to the police “30-40 terrorists sheltering” the former prime minister’s Lahore residence.
“PTI should hand over these terrorists or the law will take its course,” warned the minister. He also said that the government was aware of the presence of these “terrorists” because it had reliable intelligence reports.
Situation
On Wednesday, JEE News reporter, who was in Zaman Park, said the PTI chief allowed media access to his residence.
“The reason for allowing the media to look at their residence is to show them to the people there,” the reporter said, adding that the information minister’s claim that several terrorists were inside the residence could not be verified. are present.
He added that several PTI workers had also reached Zaman Park after the information minister warned that an “operation” would be launched after 24 hours.
Crack Down
PTI leaders and workers have been arrested in succession following the May 9 arrest of the party chief following violent protests that also saw an attack on the army headquarters.
Thousands of activists and high-level leaders, including Shah Mehmood Qureshi, Asad Umar and Shireen Mazari, have been arrested under the Maintenance of Public Order.
The crackdown came as authorities vowed to bring all gangsters to justice, with the military determined to ensure such incidents do not happen again.
The army and the government have decided that those involved in attacks on defense installations will be prosecuted under the Pakistan Army Act and the Official Secrets Act.
However, several PTI leaders have distanced themselves from attacks on military installations and said they support the armed forces.
