Former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan Former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan Former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan Pakistan's Punjab government on Wednesday gave a 24-hour ultimatum to former prime minister Imran Khan to hand over alleged rioters seeking refuge in his Zaman Park residence in Lahore. Punjab's interim information minister Amir Mir said that "technical and intelligence" information had been received through geo-fencing that "terrorists" were seeking refuge at Imran Khan's residence. He said that these people also included those who had attacked the Lahore Corps Commander House.
"That is why the PTI leadership is being requested that handover these terrorists. The Punjab interim government is giving the PTI leadership 24 hours to handover the terrorists, who were involved in attacks on military installations and are seeking refuge in Zaman Park, to Punjab police," Mir said as Dawn.
The Shehbaz Sharif government has begun a massive crackdown on Imran Khan and his party - Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf - leaders for their alleged involvement in violent protests that rocked Pakistan earlier this month. During the protest, which began after Imran Khan was arrested by the country's notorious anti-corruption organisation, PTI leaders stormed Pakistan Army's headquarters in Rawalpindi, burnt Shehbaz Sharif's residence, and attacked a corps commander's residence in Lahore.
Following this, the provincial and federal governments began arresting PTI workers and top leaders including former foreign minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi.
Today, Imran Khan condemned the "illegal arrests" and "abduction" of his party workers and leaders. He said the party's vice chairman Shah Mehmood Qureshi and Secy General Asad Umar had also been incarcerated for more than a week now.
"Also, despite court orders journalist Imran Riaz Khan has not been presented in court and there are confirmed reports of torture against him. I demand immediate release of all our female leaders, workers, and the female family members of our leaders and workers," he said in a long tweet.
Khan also said he was deeply disturbed after hearing of Dr Shireen Mazari, the former Human Rights Minister's treatment, and her daughter "being physically assaulted" by male police officers. He claimed that after the Islamabad High Court granted bail to Dr Mazari and Senator Falak Chitrali "they were abducted" from within Adyala Jail and taken to thana secretariat where Dr Mazari's screams were heard.
Imran Khan on Monday said that without any investigation into who was responsible for the arson on a government building or dozens of deaths of unarmed protesters by bullet wounds, around 7000 PTI workers, leadership and women had been jailed "with plans to ban the largest and only federal party" in Pakistan.
The former premier also claimed that there was a "London plan" under which the government was planning to put his wife Bushra Begum in jail. "Using the pretext of violence while I was inside the jail, they have assumed the role of judge, jury, and executioner. The Plan now is to humiliate me by putting Bushra begum in jail, and using some sedition law to keep me inside for the next ten years."
"Then will follow a complete crackdown on whatever is left of PTI leadership and workers. And finally, they will ban the largest and only federal party of Pakistan. (Just as they banned the Awami League in East Pakistan)," he said.
Meanwhile, Pakistan's Public Accounts Committee (PAC) Chairman Noor Alam Khan has called for the immediate suspension of salaries and pensions for serving and former government employees engaged in "anti-state activities" during the protests. He also that individuals who are currently unemployed should not be granted a "clearance certificate".
Punjab's interim information minister Amir Mir said that those who attacked army installations will be made an example of. In an apparent reference to the PTI leaders, he said that the "handlers" of the attack were in contact with the vandals and were giving them directions. He said that the "terrorists" involved in the attacks on army installations would be tried in military courts.