Pakistani police raid Imran Khan's PTI party HQs
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Raoof Hassan, the party's founding member and head of the press department, has been arrested during the raid.
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Supporters of former Prime Minister Imran Khan's party Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf ask for the release of Khan during a protest in Lahore, Pakistan, Sunday, July 21, 2024. (AP)
Pakistani police stormed the offices of the party of imprisoned former Prime Minister Imran Khan on Monday.
The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) headquarters of Khan was cordoned off by police, who escorted several party employees into waiting vans, an AFP journalist on the scene observed.
At first, the Pakistani media said that one of those taken away was party chairman and lawyer Gohar Ali Khan.
But an Islamabad Police official, who did not want to be named because he was not authorized to speak to the media, told AFP that he had not been taken into custody.
However, Raoof Hassan, the party's founder member and head of the press department, was arrested, the official confirmed.
"Raoof Hasan was arrested but the police did not arrest Gohar Ali Khan," the official confirmed.
This comes a week after Pakistan's Information Minister Attaullah Tarar revealed plans to ban former Khan's PTI party and move the country's top court to press treason charges against him.
The decision, he added, was based on several considerations, including the alleged accusation that Khan's PTI had received foreign funding from sources that are prohibited in Pakistan and the rioting that the party's leadership and members engaged in last year, which was directed at military facilities.
"The federal government will move a case to ban the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf," he said, noting that the issue would be transferred to the cabinet and the Supreme Court if needed.
The government will also file a legal reference against Khan and former President Arif Alvi for treason charges under the country's constitution before the Supreme Court, Tarar said.
A Pakistani court nullified the convictions and seven-year prison sentences of Khan and his wife, suggesting that he might be released after almost a year in prison.
However, despite the court's ruling, he was swiftly re-arrested due to his alleged involvement in riots from the previous year. Additionally, his political party indicated that his wife, Bushra Bibi, might also face re-arrest related to an ongoing corruption investigation.
Since being ousted from power through a vote of no-confidence in 2022, the former prime minister has faced numerous legal challenges.
The latest development in Khan's legal battles was his acquittal on Saturday. This particular case involved the legality of his marriage to his third wife.
