Clashes erupt as Pakistan police try to arrest Imran Khan

March 15th, 2023

Awake Goy

14 Mar 2023

Source: Agencies

By Al Mayadeen English

The Pakistani police used excessive force against Khan’s supporters, firing tear gas bombs to disperse them.

Former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan speaking at a press conference (*Reuters*)

Police and supporters of Pakistan’s leading opposition leader, Imran Khan, clashed outside his residence as officers attempted to arrest him.

The police used excessive force against Khan’s supporters, firing tear gas bombs to disperse them.

The situation outside the compound was so tense, in the city of Lahore, as the police attempted to force their way into Khan’s residence.

Police have made previous attempts to arrest him, but Khan, 70, told Al Mayadeen that he is currently facing 77 lawsuits and brought to the audience’s attention that new lawsuits continue to be filed against him — the latest of which is blasphemy and sowing sedition and terrorism — stressing that the point is to keep him away from the political arena.

Just a few days after the Islamabad police in Lahore showed up at the former premier’s residence in Lahore and attempted to arrest him in cooperation with the Punjab police, Khan touched on the current Pakistani situation and the country’s sufferings, as well as the scheme that was plotted against him during his interview for Al Mayadeen.

According to Khan, his government was “removed through a conspiracy.”

“The conspiracy was led by an ex-army chief, after joining two crooked families who had been ruling Pakistan for 30 years. And I had replaced them, so he brought them back,” he indicated.

Khan considered that all parties to the conspiracy to remove him from power are terrified of the upcoming elections because they are very well aware that his party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) will “sweep the elections.”

Khan confirmed that these parties’ fear of the election results led them to attempt to exclude, imprison, or even kill [him], describing all parties to the conspiracy as “mafias”.

Khan noted that he was expecting an assassination attempt against him and that he named, about two months ago in two public rallies, the parties that tried to assassinate him, namely the two families or the “mafias” who had ruled Pakistan, along with Pakistani intelligence officer General Faisal, whom he called out by name when he survived the assassination attempt.