Police in Pakistan have arrested dozens of supporters and aides of former Prime Minister Imran Khan in raids in towns as a part of a crackdown on the ones worried in latest clashes with the safety forces, Mr Khan`s celebration and police stated on Monday.
Supporters of Mr Khan’s celebration, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), clashed with police withinside the town of Lahore remaining week as they tried to arrest him at his home, and later with police in Islamabad as he arrived to seem earlier than a courtroom docket on Saturday.
“Around 285 PTI supporters had been arrested in Lahore and Islamabad. Houses of all essential leaders had been raided with the aid of using police remaining night,” Mr Khan’s aide, Fawad Chaudhry, advised Reuters.
Mr Khan, a former cricket star, became top minister from 2018 till 2022, whilst he became ousted from workplace in a parliamentary vote. Since then he has been traumatic a snap election and protecting protest rallies throughout the united states of america to press his case.
His successor as top minister, Shehbaz Sharif, has rejected his call for and stated an election might be held as scheduled later this year.
Mr Khan, 70, is dealing with numerous criminal instances, which include one which brought on a failed try to arrest him on Tuesday after a courtroom docket issued warrants for his arrest for now no longer acting earlier than it.
Clashes among Mr Khan’s supporters and the safety forces have introduced a brand new spherical of political chaos to Pakistan, that is withinside the midst of a crippling monetary crisis.
Mr Khan says the authorities and the effective army are seeking to forestall him from contesting the following election, scheduled for November. If convicted in a case, Mr Khan should face disqualification from the polls.
Both the authorities and army deny this.
Police in each Lahore and Islamabad showed the raids and the arrest of PTI people they stated had been worried in clashes with police and arson.
“Police are raiding the homes due to the fact seven instances on diverse charges, which include terrorism, had been registered towards the leaders and people,” Lahore police leader Bilal Kamiana advised Reuters regarding the clashes with police.
He stated a hundred twenty five activists were arrested in Lahore, which include a few remaining week.
In Islamabad, a police spokesman 198 PTI supporters were arrested in reference to arson and assaults on police wherein fifty eight human beings had been injured and extra than a dozen vehicles, which include a few police cars, had been set ablaze.
More raids had been being carried out, the spokesman stated.
He stated police had additionally long gone to the house of a sitting PTI senator, Shibli Faraz, with a seek warrant, however the senator became now no longer home.
Mr Khan, remembered with the aid of using many for his achievement as a cricket participant and later for his charity work, gained large guide amongst sections of the voters together along with his conservative, nationalistic policies.