Pakistani police raided the home of former Prime Minister Imran Khan in eastern Lahore on Saturday, arresting 30 people and deploying tear gas after “bulldozing the main gate”.
Khan, now 70, was ousted in a no-confidence vote in parliament last April.
He is accused of selling state gifts and hiding assets while in office. This is one in a string of cases the former cricket star turned Islamist politician has faced since he was ousted.
The former prime minister has been confined to his home in Lahore since Tuesday after failing to appear at an earlier hearing in the lawsuit against him.
His supporters threw stones and clashed with baton-wielding police for two days to save him from arrest.
Senior police officer Suhail Sukhera said police had moved to remove the invasion and blockade put up by Khan’s Tehreek-e-Insaf party and his rebellious supporters.
He said baton-wielding Khan supporters tried to resist the police by throwing stones and Molotov cocktails, but the officers kept moving until a man on the roof of Khan’s residence opened fire. .
The news outlet NDTV reported that police “bulldozed the main gate” and called on Khan’s party members to disband.
Inside the sprawling residence, an illegal structure was erected to protect those involved in the attack on police, which injured dozens of officers.
Police also found masks, bottles of gasoline, iron bars and batons used in attacks on officers during the week.
Witnesses said police fired tear gas to try to disperse Khan supporters and chased them to several homes around Zaman Park.
Khan was due to appear in court in Islamabad on Saturday after the Supreme Court on Friday suspended an arrest warrant for him.
accusation Insurgency against Khan and his supporters includes rioting, attempted murder, incitement to violence, and criminal conspiracies under the country’s counter-terrorism laws.
Mr Khan has previously said he created a committee to lead the party in case of arrest.
The former cricket legend led nationwide protests after being ousted from power last year.
Police tried to arrest him last week but failed, which led to violent clashes with his party members.
A court had issued an arrest warrant for him in connection with the case after he failed to attend an earlier hearing despite being summoned.
Khan, who was shot and wounded during his election campaign in November, said his life was under greater threat than ever before, preventing political opponents and the military from running for elections later this year. claimed to want to
He has also long argued that his dismissal was part of a conspiracy by his successor, Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif, and the United States.
Washington and Sharif’s governments deny the allegations.
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