Punjab Police are likely to launch a “grand crackdown” at Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan’s Zaman Park residence in Lahore to arrest “30-40 terrorists involved in May 9 riots allegedly hiding there, Geo News reported citing sources.
A day earlier, Punjab Interim Information Minister Amir Mir gave PTI chief a 24-hour deadline to handover "30-40 terrorists hiding in Zaman Park".
As the deadline expires, the police revealed that all roads leading towards Zaman Park have been blocked and a heavy contingent of law enforcement is in the area; as the authorities — according to the sources — may launch a "grand operation" after the deadline ends.
The sources shared that the inspector general of Punjab police and the capital city police officer (CCPO) have asked the police to remain "vigilant".
On Wednesday, while addressing a press conference, Mir claimed that almost "30-40 terrorists involved in May 9 vandalism have taken refuge" at the former prime minister's residence in Lahore.
While Khan feared that the Punjab Police was gearing up to launch a crackdown last night, the interim minister had confirmed that the provincial government will reveal its plans after the deadline ends.
"The deadline expires at 2pm on Thursday and no action would be taken at Khan's Zaman Park residence before that", the information minister had said, after the PTI chief expressed fears that he would be arrested.
"Probably my last tweet before my next arrest. Police has [sic] surrounded my house," the PTI chief — who was ousted as the prime minister last year in April — said in a tweet.
Later in the day, Mir — while speaking on Geo News programme Aaj Shahzeb Khanzada Ke Saath' — added that Khan is inciting people, "just like always". The information minister said the PTI chief was "lying".
On Wednesday, Geo News reporter Azam Malik, who was at Zaman Park, said the PTI chief allowed media access to his residence.
"The reason behind allowing the media to have a look at his residence is to show them the people over there," the reporter said, noting that the information minister's claim that several terrorists were inside the residence could not be corroborated.
He added that several PTI workers have also arrived at Zaman Park after the information minister's warning that an "operation" would be launched after 24 hours.
PTI leaders and workers are being arrested back-to-back after violent protests on May 9 following the party chief's arrest in which the army headquarters was also attacked.
Thousands of workers and top-tier leadership was arrested under the Maintenance of Public Order (MPO).
The crackdown comes after the authorities vowed to bring all the vandals to justice, with the army being determined to ensure such incidents do not take place again.
The military and the government have decided that the vandals involved in the attacks on defence installations would be tried under the Pakistan Army Act and Official Secrets Act.
Several PTI leaders, although, have distanced themselves from the attacks on military installations and maintained that it supports the armed forces.
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