Dozens court arrest on opposition's call in Pakistan

By Aamir Latif

KARACHI, Pakistan (AA) – Dozens of supporters of former Prime Minister Imran Khan on Wednesday gave themselves up for arrest in the northeastern city of Lahore in an attempt to ramp up pressure for snap elections in the South Asian country, party officials and local media reported.

Several leaders of Khan's center-right Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party, including former Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, former Finance Minister Asad Umar, and others also presented themselves for arrest at the city's Mall Road, though the police were reluctant to do so.

The "court arrest movement" is part of Khan's ongoing campaign that aims to protest the lodging of "sham cases" against the party leaders, including himself, and push the government of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif for early elections, which otherwise are slated to be held in October this year.

Visuals aired on the local broadcaster, Geo News, showed Qureshi and others hopping in a security van and police personnel attired in anti-riot gear appearing reluctant to arrest them.

The police arrested a former PTI lawmaker, Mian Abid, who jumped onto a security vehicle and damaged its windscreen, Geo News reported.

Apart from that untoward incident, the court arrest exercise seemed to be a friendly event as dozens of PTI workers lined up to sit in the police vans one by one, while police personnel simply looked on.

Former Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry, who also serves as the PTI's vice president, said in a video message that 500 to 700 party workers have given themselves up for arrest in Lahore.

A spokesman for the government of Punjab province, of which Lahore is the capital, said that legal action will be taken against the PTI workers for violating the law.

In a statement, the spokesman said the PTI workers "forcibly" sat in the police vans.

Earlier, in a series of tweets, Khan said: “Today we start our Jail Bharo (court arrest) campaign for Haqeeqi Azadi (real freedom).”

Imran Khan was deposed as prime minister in April after a no-confidence motion was passed in parliament.

He blames his unceremonious ouster on a US-backed conspiracy, an allegation that Islamabad and Washington have repeatedly refuted.

Pakistan's top election body, in October last year, disqualified Khan for unlawfully selling gifts he received from foreign dignitaries, igniting another political turmoil in the country.