LAHORE: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan informed the Lahore High Court (LHC) on Monday that he feared that the government would visit his Zaman Park residence in a bid to arrest him during Eid-ul-Fitr holidays.
The PTI chief conveyed his reservations to the court during the hearing on the plea seeking details of cases filed against him across the country.
During the hearing, Imran Khan’s lawyer Barrister Salman Safdar told the court that state machinery is being used against his client. He requested the court to stop the registration of cases against the PTI chief.
Referring to the Wazirabad incident and the Zile Shah case, Safdar said that in all cases there is a limit to everything, the police is the complainant.
Justice Tariq Saleem Shaikh remarked that if your stand has been recorded then this issue should not remain.
However, Safdar told the bench that all the cases involved allegations of terrorism, adding that the court could not remain silent on misuse of powers.
“We have to fight on every front. Coming to get bail every day is not the solution,” Safdar said. He added that there is no need to arrest the PTI chief in the cases registered so far.
Now Eid is coming and the court will not work. During these days the police can open another front in Zaman Park,” Safdar said, adding that the police should not be allowed to register cases during these days.
“Is there such a virtue?” Justice Sheikh asked.
On this, the PTI chief came to the rostrum and told the bench that the court had ordered the police not to operate in Zaman Park, but it did not happen.
“Now during the holidays, they will start the operation. I have confirmed information that they will start the operation. The court should stop them,” Khan asserted, adding that the “law of the jungle” operates here first. People are arrested and then informed of the charges.
Khan said and returned to his seat.
Khan’s other lawyer Anwar Mansoor said that such steps are being taken to stop the elections.
The lawyer said that a political leader is being threatened with arrest so he does not go to the people.
After which the lawyer of the Punjab government told the court that it is not legal to take permission from the court to investigate someone.
The lawyer of the Punjab government said that the courts have been rejecting such requests.
Justice Shaikh asked the lawyer that when there was no need for arrest in old cases, then why the government wants to take action after registration of new cases.
However, the government counsel said that the petition was not hearable.
Justice Shaikh while giving remarks said that the application is fine except for inclusion of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif as a defendant.
Khan’s lawyer told the court that the government machinery was not used in the way it was used against his client.
On which Justice Shaikh told the lawyer that the Punjab government’s lawyer has referred to the cases of Pakistan Muslim League (N) leader Hamza Shahbaz and Maryam Nawaz.
On this occasion, Khan again came to the rostrum and told the court that the government had violated the court’s orders despite its order.
“I am trying to stop the bloodshed. We don’t believe in this system,” Khan said.
The court took a short break and when Justice Sheikh and Justice Farooq Haider returned, they announced that they were referring the case to Chief Justice Lahore High Court for constituting a full bench on the case.
