Imran’s arrest 'no issue' if convicted: Rana Sanaullah

Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah Khan said on Sunday that the arrest of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan was not a "big issue", but the government wanted the courts to convict him first.

The statement came as the former prime minister demanded a "public trial" of the Toshakhana case before a crowd gathered inside Zaman Park, hours after police claimed he was avoiding arrest after they returned empty-handed from his Lahore residence without even meeting the PTI chairman.

Islamabad police had travelled to Lahore earlier in the day to arrest Imran Khan over warrants issued against him in the Toshakhana (gift repository) case. Police officials said the former premier was avoiding arrest, as his staff told them he was "unavailable" when they visited Zaman Park with the court orders.

Read more: Imran evades arrest in Lahore, demands 'public trial' of Toshakhana case

Speaking to the media after inaugurating a ceremony at the University of Agriculture Faisalabad (UAF), Rana Sanaullah said that if the court ordered Imran’s arrest, he would instantly comply with the orders without any fear of a law and order situation or resistance from PTI workers.

The interior minister clarified that, in the present instance, the police had gone to Zaman Park to comply with the court orders, and the government had nothing to do with it. He said that multiple cases had been registered against Imran Khan, who has been nominated in the Toshakhana case but has not yet been indicted.

The minister said that Imran was maligning others, adding that under his nose, his "crony Farah Gogi kept looting and shifting her wealth abroad".

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Speaking about holding elections, Rana Sanaullah said that it was the responsibility of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), and that his party, the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), was ready to participate in the democratic process.

(With input from APP)