Police said they tried to arrest former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan at his home on Sunday, who is struggling with several court cases and who is pressuring the government to obtain an early election.
Islamabad agents arrived at Imran Khan's home in Lahore, where hundreds of his supporters had gathered, but failed to find the ex-prime minister.
“
A team from Islamabad Police has arrived in Lahore to arrest Imran Khan to comply with court orders
,” Islamabad Police said in a tweet.
The superintendent of police entered a room in the house, but Imran Khan “
was not present there
”, it was added.
Read alsoThe explosion of inflation puts Pakistan on the brink
The arrest warrant was issued after Imran Khan failed to appear in court in a corruption case scheduled for February 28.
He is accused of not having declared the gifts he received during his tenure, nor the profits he made from their sale.
Officials must declare all gifts, but are allowed to retain those that do not exceed a certain value.
Stifle the opposition
Shah Mehmood Qureshi, deputy chairman of Imran Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party, told reporters that the notice they received from Islamabad police did not contain "any arrest order
"
. .
“
We will consult with our lawyers and follow the legal process
,” he added.
Pakistani courts are often used to launch lengthy and tedious proceedings in an effort to stifle political opposition, denounce human rights defenders.
Read alsoIn Pakistan, the fall of Prime Minister Imran Khan
Ousted from power in a vote of no confidence in April, Imran Khan, who was shot and wounded at a rally last year, is pushing for a snap election to be held no later than October.
He notably organized demonstrations, withdrew from Parliament or even dissolved the two provincial assemblies controlled by his party in order to force the hand of the government.
The country, which has more than 220 million inhabitants, is in the grip of serious economic difficulties with galloping inflation, insufficient foreign exchange reserves and stalled negotiations with the IMF.