Amir says ‘right-hand man’ of Sufi Mohammad present at IK’s residence
Caretaker Punjab Minister for Information Amir Mir has revealed that “militant elements” were present during the operation at former prime minister Imran Khan’s residence in Lahore’s Zaman Park neighbourhood.
Mir made these remarks during a press conference held on Thursday in Lahore, where he was flanked by Punjab IG Usman Anwar.
Mir stated that the authorities had received information that there were people from KhyberPakhtunkhwa present at the site who were militants. He also revealed the name of a militant who belonged to Tehreek-e-Nafaz-e-Shariat-e-Mohammadi and was the right-hand man of late Maulana Sufi Mohammad.
The individual had been in jail for eight years but had now reportedly joined a political party, which was a veiled reference to Imran’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf.
The caretaker minister assured that the state would take action against such elements after the operation was completed. When questioned about the pres ence of G-B police at Zaman Park, he said that 12 police personnel were present, but they had been withdrawn.
Mir stated that the government had decided to ensure that no loss of life occurred during the operation, which was why personnel were only sent with clubs, shields, and helmets. He added that court orders were resisted for two to three days, and an area of Lahore had been virtually turned into a no-go zone. The police had displayed immense restraint, but violent activities were conducted by the other side in which dozens of police personnel were injured, some of them critically.
“If it is decided to act on Imran Khan’s warrant, it will not take much time to arrest him,” he said.
Punjab IG, speaking on the occasion, said that the driver and one other person have confessed to their crime in Zille Shah case before the magistrate. “That [statement] will be shared with the media as well and everything will become clear soon,” he added.
To a question about why police did not have information about the violent activities of the protesters, he said that police were fully informed but wanted to ensure no loss of life. “It must be kept in mind that we were not in enemy territory.”
