LAHORE, Pakistan (AP) — Pakistani police maintained a siege on Imran Khan’s home Thursday as the 24-hour deadline given to the former prime minister to hand over the suspects allegedly sheltering inside the home was about to expire. expire.
The siege and the authorities’ demand to hand over the suspects, wanted by violent protests following Khan’s recent arrest, have angered many of his supporters and raise fears of further clashes between them and security forces.
Last week, Khan’s supporters attacked public property and military installations after he was forcibly removed from a court and detained. At least 10 people have been killed in clashes with police across the country. The violence subsided only when the Supreme Court ordered the release of the politician.
The popular opposition leader was released over the weekend and returned to his home in a luxurious neighborhood of Lahore, the country’s second-largest city and capital of Punjab province. Dozens of his supporters are staying there with him, in addition to his private guards. Police, who surrounded the residence on Wednesday, say they want 40 suspects to turn themselves in.
The ultimatum for Khan ends at 2:00 p.m. local time.
“Probably my last tweet before my next arrest,” the popular opposition leader, 70, wrote on Wednesday after the start of the operation. “The police have surrounded my house.”
According to Amir Mir, a spokesman for the Punjab regional government, the officers were prepared to use their firearms when attacked. He said at a press conference on Thursday that at least 3,400 suspects linked to the crashes have been detained and more raids are planned.
The Pakistani authorities have announced that the civilians involved in the recent anti-government protests will be tried in military courts.
The announcement drew criticism from the human rights group Amnesty International and the Pakistan Human Rights Commission, which oppose the move. In the country, military trials are often held behind closed doors, depriving civilians of some of their basic rights, such as the hiring of a lawyer of their choice.
Khan, was ousted last year following a vote of no confidence in Parliament that deemed a Western conspiracy illegal.
Currently, he is facing more than 100 court cases, mostly for inciting violence, threatening officials and violating the ban on holding political events. In addition, he is facing a corruption case together with his wife and was summoned by the National Accountability Office to answer questions regarding the case on Thursday.
But Khan is likely to ignore the anti-corruption agency’s summons for questioning in the walled city of Rawalpindi. He is expected to address a rally of supporters on the outskirts of Lahore later in the day.
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Associated Press writer Munir Ahmed contributed to this report from Islamabad.