ISLAMABAD: The top office-bearer of former prime minister Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party announced during a crucial court hearing about the party’s election symbol on Saturday his family was “attacked” by people who took away important documents from his residence as the national polls loom next month.
Barrister Gohar Khan, the new PTI chairman, was at the Supreme Court to witness the proceedings initiated by a petition filed by the country’s election regulatory authority that seeks to revoke “cricket bat” as the PTI emblem for the next polls after blaming it for holding a flawed intraparty voting process.
The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) had issued a ruling in this connection last month, though it was challenged by Khan’s party at the Peshawar High Court (PHC) that managed to secure a favorable verdict. The ECP went to the top court in response to file an appeal against the PHC decision, and the new PTI chairman was present at the hearing when he discovered about the incident.
“My family has been attacked,” Barrister Khan approached the rostrum and told the court. “[People] arrived in four pickup trucks and took the computer and documents from my residence. They beat my nephew and son. I just received this information.”
In recent months, the PTI has repeatedly stated that its leaders have been targeted by state agencies, alleging an uneven playing field ahead of the upcoming general elections.
The party has been facing a crackdown following violent protests triggered by the brief detention of ex-PM Khan from an Islamabad court last year in May.
People carrying the PTI flags targeted government buildings, including a top general’s residence in Lahore and the main gate of the army headquarters in Rawalpindi, and setting some of them on fire.
Following Barrister Khan’s statement in court, Islamabad police shared via social media that they had acted on a tip-off and reached a house in search of wanted criminals, only to discover it was the residence of the new PTI chief.
“No violence was inflicted on anyone, nor were any documents taken,” the post continued. “It was a routine operation. Further investigations are being conducted.”
Ex-PM Khan’s party official says family ‘attacked’ during top court hearing on election symbol dispute
https://arab.news/n5gqm
Ex-PM Khan’s party official says family ‘attacked’ during top court hearing on election symbol dispute
- Barrister Gohar Khan says people came in pickup trucks and took the computer, documents from his residence
- Police says they acted on a tip-off and reached a house to arrest criminals, only to discover it was Khan’s home
Pakistan military says 13 militants killed in counterterror operations across northwest
- Military says counterterror operations launched in Bajaur, Bannu, Dera Ismail Khan, Khyber and South Waziristan districts
- The counterterror operations take place as Afghanistan and Pakistan remain locked in conflict since late last month
ISLAMABAD: Pakistani security forces this week killed 13 militants in five separate counterterror operations in the northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province, the military’s media wing said on Sunday, vowing to eliminate militancy from the country.
The counterterror operations were conducted on Mar. 6-7, with Pakistani troops killing five militants in the northwestern Bajaur district in the first operation. In two other encounters in Bannu and Dera Ismail Khan district, security forces killed three militants belonging to the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) militants, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said.
Meanwhile, five other militants were killed in two separate counterterror operations in Khyber and South Waziristan districts in which five more militants were slain.
“Weapons and ammunition were also recovered from Indian-sponsored killed khwarij, who remained actively involved in numerous terrorist activities in the area,” ISPR said in a statement.
Pakistan’s military frequently uses the term “Fitna al Khwarij” to describe TTP militants. The militant outfit has carried out some of the deadliest attacks against Pakistani civilians and security forces since 2007 in a bid to impose their strict brand of Islamic law across the country.
Islamabad accuses Afghanistan of sheltering the TTP and facilitating their attacks against Pakistan, a charge Kabul has denied. Pakistan also accuses India of supporting these militant groups, which New Delhi has repeatedly rejected.
The counterterror operations take place as Pakistan remains locked in conflict with Afghanistan since late February.
The worst fighting between the two sides began late last month when Afghan forces launched a surprise attack on Pakistani military installations along their shared border. Afghanistan said the assault was in retaliation for Pakistan’s earlier airstrikes in February on what Islamabad described as militant camps inside Afghanistan.
Pakistan’s Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said on Saturday that Islamabad has killed 527 Afghan Taliban fighters and injured more than 755 since clashes began.
Afghanistan has also claimed attacking multiple Pakistani military bases and killing several Pakistani soldiers. Arab News has not independently verified the claims by both sides.
Pakistan has ruled out talks with Afghanistan and said it will continue its military operations in the country till it withdraws support for militant groups that Islamabad says operate from Afghanistan.
