Amnesty International raised concern about the “volatile situation” in Pakistan as Lahore authorities clashed with Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) activists during failed attempts to arrest former PM Imran Khan.
The group urged Islamabad to ensure that the authorities’ attempts to maintain law and order are conducted following international human rights standards. They added that the actions of the security personnel must be “legal, necessary, and proportionate.”
We call on authorities to exercise restraint and to ensure their response at all times is in accordance with international human rights law standards. [2/2]
— Amnesty International South Asia (@amnestysasia) March 15, 2023
Khan Must Appear in Court
During a Thursday hearing, Additional District and Sessions Judge (ADSJ) Zafar Iqbal said that he would instruct security personnel to halt their attempts to arrest Khan if the former PM were to appear before the court. Khan is facing corruption charges for selling Toshakhana gifts he purchased from the public repository at minimal costs while in office.
The Islamabad High Court had suspended a non-bailable warrant issued against Khan last week and urged him to appear before the court on Tuesday. After he failed to appear, authorities attempted to arrest Khan and were obstructed by PTI workers for two days. The operation was called off after the court gave Khan till Thursday to appear.
After Khan once again failed to present himself before the court, the ADSJ said, “We want Imran to come to court. Why is he not coming? What is the reason? Imran Khan has to assist the police according to the law, not resist them.”
I want to thank the SCBAP for their strong position on upholding of Constitution & rule of law. We appreciate your condemnation of excessive use of force by authorities at Zaman Park. My Party was founded on principle of rule of law & we continue to stand by this commitment. pic.twitter.com/7GMOYHljn5
— Imran Khan (@ImranKhanPTI) March 16, 2023
The ADSJ lamented that the government had already spent “millions of rupees” to arrest Khan and regretted the violent situation outside the former PM’s residence in Zaman Park.
Khan’s lawyer said that while the former PM had no issues appearing before the court, there were “more than three incidents” of opposition leaders being tortured.
Reassuring Khan’s lawyer that he would not be assaulted in court, the ADSJ added that the police could not “sit outside doing nothing” about the arrest warrant.
Our worker from Gujrat Usman Jaura saved this lady from direct firing of the bloodthirsty brutal Rangers & Punjab police. In the face of the violence unleashed on us, we saw the spirit of commitment & the passion of our workers like Usman. pic.twitter.com/NfGDUcjAsv
— Imran Khan (@ImranKhanPTI) March 15, 2023
He also urged the PTI to resort to non-violent protests, given that the arrest warrant was issued following the country’s laws.
PM Sharif Offers to Negotiate
Amid the volatile situation, PM Shehbaz Sharif offered to negotiate with his predecessor Khan on Wednesday to address the political and economic crises. However, he noted that the PTI did not respond positively to such offers in the past.