Daily Times

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said Saturday likened Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan to the extremist Indian organisation Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) as police and his party workers clash in Lahore.

Scores of police personnel and PTI supporters were injured in clashes as the law enforcers have been engaged in intermittent operations at Zaman Park since March 14.

“If anyone had any doubt, Imran Niazi’s antics of the last few days have laid bare his fascist & militant tendencies,” the prime minister said in a tweet.

“From using people as human shields to throwing petrol bombs at police to leading ‘jathas’ to intimidate judiciary, he has taken a leaf out of the RSS book,” he added.

The prime minister’s statement came a day after Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Senior Vice President Maryam Nawaz said that the government should deal with the Imran Khan-led PTI as a terrorist organisation – and the time had passed to sit and negotiate with the deposed prime minister.

In a hard-hitting press conference in Lahore, the PML-N leader lashed out at the former premier for creating a “scene” at his Zaman Park residence, saying Khan announced a “revolt against the state institutions”.

Referring to the clashes outside Imran Khan’s residence, the PML-N’s chief organiser said that scenes at Zaman Park and the Kacha area are similar – the Kacha area is infamous for being a haven for notorious criminals, including high-profile kidnappers.

Meanwhile, Maryam Nawaz rejected PTI chief Imran Khan’s claim that his wife Bushra Bibi was alone at his Zaman Park residence in Lahore when Punjab police conducted a ‘surprise search operation’ there.

The Punjab police had launched a surprise ‘search operation’ at the PTI’s chief residence – hours after he left to appear before a local court in Islamabad – and arrested several party workers.

Imran took to social media to announce that, “Punjab police have led an assault on my house in Zaman Park where Bushra Begum is alone”.

He questioned under what law the operation was being carried out, adding that “this is part of London Plan where commitments were made to bring absconder Nawaz Sharif to power as quid pro quo for agreeing to one appointment”.

Reacting to his statement, Maryam in a series of tweets, said if there was only a woman present inside the house then who was “firing bullets and throwing petrol bombs at the police from inside?”

She also shared a purported video on her Twitter timeline wherein a man can be seen throwing some “explosive” from the PTI chief’s Lahore residence.

“Didn’t I say that this [PTI] is a terrorist group whose leader is housing miscreants and trained terrorists in his house to avoid the law and punishment? Previously, such scenes were seen only in matters related to terrorism. Shameful!,” she added.

In another tweet, Maryam said brave politicians do not fear arrest and accountability. “Only thieves, bandits and terrorists fear arrest and accountability.”