Foreign Affairs

Violent clashes in Lahore

Barricaded in the house to avoid being arrested, so the former Pakistani premier resists tear gas

Imran Khan released a video, which shows him surrounded by used tear gas and flags, in which he denounces the police attacks: "Today I tell the whole nation that they are ready to return again"

15/03/2023

More clashes between police officers and supporters of the former Pakistani prime minister in Lahore, Pakistan, where Imran Khan remains hidden in his home, defying arrest attempts.

Khan was overturned in April 2022 by a motion of no confidence and has since faced a series of legal proceedings. The police, who want his arrest, clashed with militants of the party that supports him, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), in the vicinity of his residence in Zaman Park, firing tear gas and dodging stones thrown by the angry mob.

It is already the second attempt, rejected, by those who would like to execute the arrest warrant against the politician. The first showdown to arrest the former cricketer failed because the septuagenarian was "reluctant to surrender". This time the police were welcomed at the former head of government's home by hundreds of activists from his party, some waving sticks and throwing stones. Officers used water cannons to try to disperse the crowd and gain access to the building. Many tear gas even ended up in the former prime minister's garden.

According to Islamabad, Imran Khan, 70, must go to prison on charges by a Pakistani court of failing to declare the "diplomatic gifts" received during his term and even profiting from reselling them.