Tense police siege continues around Imran Khan’s house as deadline to hand over protesters passes

Police gives 24-hour ultimatum to former PM to hand over protesters accused of violence

A police seige around Imran Khan’s home continued on Thursday after a deadline passed to hand over suspects the police claimed were hiding in the former prime minister’s residence.

The Punjab province police has demanded Mr Khan hand over the suspects who they said were involved in violence amid widespread demonstrations on 9 May, when he was arrested from the Islamabad High Court.

The police have claimed the suspects, dubbed “terrorists” by a government minister, are hiding out in Mr Khan’s Zaman Park residence in province capital Lahore, according to GeoTV.

More than 1,500 police officials have been deployed outside Mr Khan’s residence as part of a so-called “grand operation” to arrest the suspects. The personnel are equipped with teargas and heavy machinery.

Police had given a 24-hour ultimatum to the former prime minister on Wednesday to hand over the “terrorists” or face police action.

The deadline ended at 2pm local time, with no action taken by the police, although the siege has continued.

Local reports said the situation outside Mr Khan’s Zaman Park residence was “calm” after the deadline passed.

All roads leading up to the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaaf (PTI) party chairperson’s residence have also been blocked.

Pakistani security officials close a road outside the former Prime Minister Imran Khan's residence in Lahore on 18 May (AP)

Amir Mir, Punjab’s interim information minister, said late Wednesday that the provincial government had no plans of arresting Mr Khan.

“First let the 24-hour deadline expire then the government will reveal its plans,” he said.

Earlier in the day, Mr Khan expressed fears that he would be arrested again. He also didn’t attend a National Accountability Bureau (NAB) hearing at the high court in person on the advice of his legal team. Reports said he instead sent written responses to a questionnaire.

“Probably my last tweet before my next arrest. Police has [sic] surrounded my house,” tweeted the international cricketer-turned-politician on Wednesday.

Mr Mir said the PTI chairperson is inciting people, “just like always” and blamed Mr Khan for “lying”. He had claimed that about “30 to 40 terrorists” took refuge at the former prime minister’s Lahore residence.

“PTI should hand over these terrorists or the law will take its course,” he warned.

“We have received an intelligence report that some 30 to 40 terrorists who were involved in attacking the military installations, especially Lahore Corps Commander House on May 9, are hiding at the residence of Imran Khan,” Mr Mir claimed.

He also alleged Mr Khan told his supporters and PTI workers to carry out arson attacks in any eventuality of his arrest.

Members of the media climb down from the roof of Pakistan’s former PM Imran Khan’s house in Lahore on 18 May (AP)

The country’s media said the former prime minister gave them access to his residence.

A Geo TV reporter said “the reason behind allowing the media to have a look at his residence is to show them the people over there” and noted that Mr Mir’s claim about people hiding at his residence could not be corroborated.

The PTI invited “all media” to Zaman Park to cover the “search operation order given by illegal caretaker government”.

The senior leadership of the PTI, including Shah Mahmood Qureshi, Asad Umar and Shireen Mazari, have already been arrested by the government.

On Thursday, however, the Islamabad High Court said the arrest of PTI vice chair Qureshi under the Maintenance of Public Order law was “illegal” and ordered his release.

Thousands of PTI workers have been detained since 9 May, when Mr Khan was dramatically taken into custody by the Pakistan Rangers from the Islamabad High Court.

The Dawn newspaper reported that on Thursday, several special police vans, water cannons, prison vans, bulldozers, heavy machinery, teargas shells and elite police force commandos encircled Mr Khan’s house.

Media personnel reporting from the roof of Imran Khan’s Lahore home (AP)

Mr Khan, meanwhile, has stressed the need for fresh elections once again and said they were the only way out of political instability.

“The PDM [Pakistan Democratic Movement] leaders and Nawaz Sharif, who is absconding in London, are least concerned whether the country’s constitution is desecrated, state institutions are destroyed or even Pakistan Army earns a bad name,” the former prime minister said during a speech via video link from his residence.

They are looking for their vested interests of saving the looted wealth alone.”

“I am seeing a frightening dream that the country is heading towards an imminent disaster,” he added.

“I appeal to the powers that be to let the elections take place and save the country,” Mr Khan continued.

On his social media, Mr Khan also demanded “an immediate inquiry [that] needs to be held on the police firing on unarmed protesters killing at least 25 and injuring hundreds”.

Baqir Sajjad, a Pakistan fellow at the Wilson Center, wrote in a blog post that the demostrations have revealed “deeper concerns about the risk of institutional implosion, which could jeopardize the country’s long-term stability and the future of democracy”.

“The government has launched a heavy-handed crackdown on the protesters, arresting approximately 3,500 individuals and imprisoning a significant portion of the PTI’s senior leadership. Despite a semblance of uneasy calm returning to the streets after four tumultuous days, this should not be misconstrued as an end to the crisis sparked by Khan’s arrest,” he pointed out.

“The ruling Pakistan Democratic Movement’s demonstration of power against the judiciary, coupled with the relentless desire of the government and the military to see the PTI chief imprisoned for an extended period and neutralise his political party, suggests that the situation remains precarious,” warned Mr Sajjad.

Police officers patrolling around the residence of Imran Khan on 18 May (AP)

Amid Pakistan’s political turmoil, more than 60 US lawmakers signed a bipartisan letter sent to US secretary of state Antony Blinken.

The letter, shared on Twitter by the Pakistani American Political Action Committee, asked Mr Blinken to “use all diplomatic tools – including calls, visits and public statements – to demonstrate US interest and prevent the erosion of democratic institutions in Pakistan”.

It also urged him to “prioritise the promotion and protection of democracy and human rights in Pakistan”.

The letter said members of Congress are concerned by the “blanket bans on demonstrations and deaths of several prominent critics of the government”.