LAHORE, Islamabad — Pakistani police stormed former Prime Minister Imran Khan’s residence within the jap metropolis of Lahore on Saturday and arrested 61 folks amid tear fuel and clashes between Khan’s supporters and police, officers stated.

Senior police officer Suhail Sukhera, who led the operation in an upscale Lahore neighborhood, stated police acted to take away a barricade erected by members of Khan’s Tehreek-e-Insaf celebration and his defiant supporters. He stated they blocked the lanes round Khan’s residence with concrete blocks, felled timber, tents and a parked truck.

Khan was not within the dwelling, having traveled to Islamabad to seem earlier than a decide to face prices he bought state presents whereas in workplace and hid his belongings. The decide postponed that listening to till March 30.

Sukhera stated baton-wielding Khan supporters tried to withstand police by throwing stones and Molotov cocktails and a person on the roof of Khan’s residence opened fireplace. At the least three law enforcement officials had been injured.

Sukhera stated police broke open the principle door of Khan’s residence and located computerized weapons, Molotov cocktails, iron rods and batons utilized in assaults on police throughout the week. Sukhera stated that contained in the sprawling residence, unlawful buildings had been erected to shelter folks concerned in assaults on police which have injured dozens of officers.

Inside Minister Rana Sanaullah stated later that police would do an entire search of Khan’s dwelling, the place they discovered bunkers and suspected extra unlawful weapons and ammunition had been hidden. He stated in Islamabad, Khan and plenty of of his supporters had been armed.

Witnesses in Lahore stated police tried to disperse Khan’s supporters by firing tear fuel and chased them to a number of houses within the Zaman Park neighborhood. Khan’s lawyer appeared in an Islamabad court docket on Saturday after a high court docket Friday suspended Khan’s arrest warrant, giving him a reprieve to journey to Islamabad and face prices within the graft case with out being detained.

Khan had been holed up at his dwelling in Lahore since Tuesday after failing to seem at an earlier listening to within the case. His supporters hurled rocks and clashed with baton-wielding police for 2 days to guard the previous premier from arrest.

Khan’s motorcade arrived Saturday close to the federal judicial advanced in Islamabad, the place his supporters additionally clashed with police who prevented them from coming into the advanced. The enraged Khan supporters threw rocks at police who responded by lobbing tear fuel canisters to disperse them.

Khan’s lawyer, Babar Awan, filed an utility for Khan’s exemption from look in court docket amid particular circumstances.

Legislation Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar condemned Khan for not turning himself over to police and never showing in court docket Saturday regardless of arriving on the judicial advanced gate. He accused Khan of utilizing his protesting supporters to keep away from indictment.

Khan’s supporter set two police automobiles and a number of other bikes exterior the judicial advanced on fireplace whereas dispersing, in response to the regulation minister.

Khan, throughout his highway journey to Islamabad, stated in a video message that police had damaged into his residence in Lahore whereas his spouse was alone on the dwelling. He condemned the motion and demanded that these accountable be punished.

Khan’s PTI celebration secretary-general, Asad Umar, in a letter to Pakistan’s chief justice famous that police waited till Khan was en path to Islamabad to storm his Lahore residence. He stated the “doorways and partitions have been razed to the bottom” and greater than 40 folks on the dwelling had been arrested.

Khan, now the opposition chief, was ousted in a no-confidence vote in Parliament final April. He’s accused of promoting state presents whereas in workplace and concealing belongings, prices he denies. It’s one in a string of circumstances that the previous cricket star turned Islamist politician has been dealing with since his ouster.

The 70-year-old Khan, who has referred to as for early elections in Parliament, has claimed that his elimination from energy was a part of a conspiracy by his successor, Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif, and the US. Each Washington and Sharif’s authorities have denied the allegation.

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Related Press author Zarar Khan in Islamabad contributed.