Fazl accuses Imran of using workers as 'shield' to evade arrest

State must establish its writ and ensure ex-PM is arrested for crimes he committed, says PDM president

ISLAMABAD:

Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) President and Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman on Wednesday said that Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan had been hiding behind his workers to evade his arrest.

The remarks come as clashes between PTI workers and law enforcement agencies intensified for the second day outside Imran Khan’s Zaman Park residence in Lahore. Islamabad Police with the help of Punjab police is trying to arrest the former prime minister after an Islamabad sessions court issued a non-bailable arrest warrant against him in the Toshakhana case.

قائد جمعیت مولانا فضل الرحمٰن کی ملکی سیاسی صورتحال پر اہم گفتگو۔ pic.twitter.com/fJuHGm8P00

— Jamiat Ulama-e-Islam Pakistan (@juipakofficial) March 15, 2023

Addressing a news conference in federal capital, Fazl referred to Imran Khan as a "coward" who has not only used his party workers as a shield but also made them stand against the state. "The state must establish its writ and ensure Imran's arrest for the crimes he committed during his tenure as prime minister," he added.

Read Law enforcers withdraw from around Imran Khan's Zaman Park residence

Fazl said that many political leaders were arrested during the tenure of Imran Khan’s government which even failed to prove a single allegation in a court of law.

“Imran Khan should show some courage and face the law,” the JUI chief said, adding that Imran was hell-bent on spreading chaos and anarchy in the country to achieve his ulterior motives.

سی آئی اے کا نمائندہ زلمے خلیل ذاد عمران خان کے حق میں ٹوئٹ کر رہا ہے ، اور ان کے گرفتاری پر احتجاج کر رہا ہے ۔
ہمارے موقف کی تائید ہو رہی ہے کہ یہ غیر ملکی نمائندہ اور ایجنٹ ہے۔@MoulanaOfficial pic.twitter.com/vTc48QWhL8

— Jamiat Ulama-e-Islam Pakistan (@juipakofficial) March 15, 2023

He said that the country could not be run on the whims of Imran Khan, who first abandoned parliament and then resorted to “inciting violence in the country”.

Fazl said that Imran Khan was striving to “implement his foreign agenda in the country”, but he would not be allowed to do so at any cost.

The JUI-F chief also remarked that the situation in Lahore was grave as the entire city had turned into a battlefield, causing inconvenience to the masses.