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HomeWorldImran Khan’s supporters gather outside his home after Punjab's caretaker government withdraws...

Imran Khan’s supporters gather outside his home after Punjab’s caretaker government withdraws security

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Lahore, Jan 26 (PTI) Supporters of Pakistan’s ousted prime minister Imran Khan on Thursday gathered outside his residence here to provide security and resist his possible arrest, days after the caretaker government of Punjab province withdrew the additional security provided to him following an assassination attempt.

The additional security provided to Khan, the chief of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party, in November was removed on Tuesday night.

“The Punjab government under CM Mohsin Naqvi has withdrawn additional police security of Khan and also former chief minister and Khan’s ally Chaudhary Parvez Elahi,” a government official told PTI.

He said the commandos of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province who were deployed at the Zaman Park Lahore residence of Khan have also been withdrawn following dissolution of the assembly and installation of a caretaker setup there.

The PTI chief’s security was beefed up following a gun attack on him in November last in the Wazirabad area of Punjab province.

PTI Punjab’s senior leader Musarrat Cheema said that a number of party workers are stationed outside Khan’s residence.

“A good number of PTI workers have been camping outside Khan sahib’s residence for the last two days to resist any possible attempt to arrest him,” Cheema told PTI.

She said a ‘puppet’ caretaker Chief Minister has been installed to take action against the PTI leadership.

Cheema said the PTI workers would not only provide security to Khan but stop the government from arresting him.

On Wednesday, Police arrested PTI’s senior leader Fawad Chaudhry during a predawn raid on charges of “inciting violence against a constitutional institution.

Former interior minister Sheikh Rashid said that there are chances that Imran Khan may be poisoned.

“I have asked Khan to be very careful as a conspiracy is being hatched to give him poison in his food,” Rashid said.

Defence Minister Khawaja Asif, however, claimed that the government has no plans to arrest Khan.

Earlier, Khan said he sacrificed the party’s governments in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa because the country needed free and fair elections.

He demanded that the judiciary ensure that general elections in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa be held within 90 days of the dissolution of assemblies.

“If there is a Constitution and law in this country, the election cannot go beyond 90 days,” he said and urged the Chief Justice of Pakistan to look into the matter.

Khan said that he is shocked to see how the military establishment has chosen to side with those (Sharifs and Zardaris) who had been looting the country for the past three decades.

The provincial assemblies in the two provinces –Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa– were dissolved prematurely this month by the PTI party to force the federal government in Islamabad to call for early general elections.

However, the federal government refused to bow before the pressure and has been so far adamant to hold elections on time after August this year.

Mohsin Naqvi was sworn in as the caretaker chief minister of Punjab on January 22, while Mohammad Azam Khan as the chief executive of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on January 21. PTI MZ RUP AKJ RUP

This report is auto-generated from PTI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.

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