Shipping containers were placed outside the main entrance of party chairman Imran Khan’s Zaman Park residence in Lahore – ostensibly by PTI supporters – on Thursday as the Lahore High Court (LHC) postponed the police operation for the arrest of the former prime minister till today (Friday). Islamabad Police, backed up by their Punjab Police compatriots and the Rangers, have met significant resistance from PTI workers since Tuesday in trying to execute non-bailable arrest warrants issued by a sessions court for Imran, who is currently holed up in his Lahore residence. After several violent exchanges, the police retreated Wednesday, saying that the operation had been paused during the ongoing Pakistan Super League (PSL). Separately, the LHC had also ordered the LEAs to stop the action until 10am Thursday.
On Thursday, the LHC once again postponed the police operation at Zaman Park. “On the request of the learned counsel for the petitioner, this case is adjourned to 17.03.2023. Injunctive orders passed yesterday (Wednesday) shall remain in force till then,” the court said in its written order. The court passed these directives on PTI leader Fawad Chaudhry’s petition seeking to stop “atrocities” on his party chairman and workers at Zaman Park.
During the hearing, LHC’s Justice Tariq Saleem Sheikh remarked that the lack of understanding of the law was the cause of the issue. He highlighted that adherence to the rule of law could resolve the current impasse.
The judge went on to emphasise that all solutions to such problems could be found in the Constitution. Justice Sheikh also lamented that the entire system “had been jammed” by the opposing parties. “Sometimes you appear in this court, and at other times you turn up in the Islamabad High Court,” he commented. The judge also advised that both parties [police and PTI] needed to follow the law and reminded them that the entire nation had been affected by the ongoing situation. Later in a tweet, Chaudhry said the LHC had extended the orders to stop the operation at Zaman Park until today (Friday). “The chief secretary and inspector general of police have been instructed to sit with the leadership of the PTI and resolve these matters through mutual consultation,” he said.