Pakistan cops withdraw from Imran Khan's house, but temporarily. Top updates
1 min read 15 Mar 2023, 03:35 PM ISTA senior police official said the court-ordered operation to arrest Khan was halted temporarily to accommodate cricket's Pakistan Super League (PSL), the country's top sporting event which is being played at a stadium a few km (miles) away from Khan's neighbourhood.
PremiumThe Pakistan Police has reportedly withdrawn from around Imran Khan's house in Lahore ahead of a Pakistan Super League (PSL) match scheduled to be held in the city.
A senior police official said the court-ordered operation to arrest Khan, a former international cricketer, was halted temporarily to accommodate cricket's Pakistan Super League (PSL), the country's top sporting event which is being played at a stadium a few km (miles) away from Khan's neighbourhood.
The tournament ends on Sunday.
"We can't afford to risk the security and safety of the PSL," said the official, who declined to be named because they were not authorised to speak to the media. "The court orders will be implemented."
Top updates from the volatile situation in Lahore, Pakistan
-Supporters of former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan threw bricks at police who fought back with clubs and tear gas for a second day Wednesday after officers tried to arrest the ousted premier for failing to appear in court on graft charges.
-According to Reuters, the police has withdrawn from around the house of ousted prime minister Imran Khan citing a PSL match. The police have also confirmed that they will continue the operation to arrest Imran Khan after the match.
-Earlier, security forces had fired tear gas and water cannons at hundreds of Khan's supporters who had cordoned off his home in an effort to prevent his arrest
-Police besieged the 70-year-old opposition leader’s house in the eastern city of Lahore since Tuesday as his supporters hurled rocks and bricks, and swung batons snatched from the officers.
-Violence was also reported between Khan's supporters and police in other major cities, including Karachi, Islamabad, the garrison city of Rawalpindi, Peshawar, Quetta and elsewhere in Pakistan. The government sent additional police to Lahore's upscale area of Zaman Park, where Khan lives.
-Khan later posed for cameras seated at a long table, showing off piles of spent tear gas shells he said had been collected from around his home. “What crime did I commit that my house has been attacked like this," he tweeted.
-The unrest added to the instability in nuclear-armed Pakistan, which is struggling with an economic crisis and awaiting an International Monetary Fund bailout.
(With agency inputs)
