Police seek Pakistan’s ex-PM Imran Khan’s consent to search home

Islamabad: Police in Pakistan are seeking Imran Khan’s permission to search his home for supporters accused of attacking military facilities in last week’s unrest, in what appears to be a move to cool tensions between the former premier and the authorities.

A delegation will be sent to Khan’s Lahore residence in Punjab after Friday prayers, according to provincial government minister Amir Mir. Earlier, the Punjab government had given Khan, 70, a Thursday deadline to hand over dozens of people involved in last weeks arrest, which he defied.

“We have information that there are around 40 terrorists hiding there, so I think we will need some 400 police to search the house,” he told Reuters.

The reference was to supporters of Khan accused of attacking and vandalising government and military buildings.

Khan’s home is located in the Zaman Park neighbourhood of Lahore, the capital of Punjab.

In March, the area was the site of pitched battles between this supporters and police who had tried to arrest the former cricket star for not showing up in court.

Khan was eventually arrested on May 9 on graft charges, which he denies, and was later set free on court-ordered bail that expires later this month.

His arrest triggered a wave of violence that saw supporters attacking military installations and other government buildings.

The clashes came as the South Asian nation of 220 million faces its worst ever economic crisis, with critical IMF funding needed to avert a balance of payment crisis delayed for months.

On Wednesday, the Punjab government asked Khan to hand over supporters who it blamed for the attacks on the powerful army and who it says are hiding in his home.

Khan has denied sheltering anyone involved in the violence, and has said the authorities could search his home but only with legal warrants from a court.

On Thursday, Khan’s aide Iftikhr Durrani allowed journalists into some areas of Khan’s Lahore home to “look for terrorists”.

Police remain outside the ex-cricket star’s heavily guarded compound. Khan has said he has nothing to hide and invited the media to check his residence in the upscale neighborhood of Zaman Park.

At least 10 people were killed in violent clashes between Khan’s supporters and security forces after his arrest last week on corruption charges. The army has said those involved in targeting its installations would be tried in military courts.