Pakistani security personnel withdrew from around Imran Khan's residence in Lahore on Wednesday, putting a halt to clashes that had erupted after police tried to arrest the former prime minister for not showing up in a case against him related to selling state gifts. Police and other security personnel were seen leaving the Lahore neighborhood where Khan's home is located, Reuters reported. Earlier Wednesday, Pakistani police fired tear gas into the grounds of Khan's home following a night of violent clashes between security personnel and the former prime minister's supporters as attempts by authorities to arrest him stretched into a second day. It was not immediately clear if the security forces had ended their court-ordered operation to arrest Khan. After they withdrew, Khan was seen standing outside his home, wearing a gas mask and talking to supporters. A lower court in the capital Islamabad had last week issued an arrest warrant against Khan for defying orders to present himself in court to defend charges that he unlawfully sold state gifts given to him by foreign dignitaries while he was prime minister from 2018 to 2022. A total of 69 people have been injured in the violence in the eastern city so far, including 34 police officers, a Pakistani police official told CNN on the condition of anonymity. He said people inside Khan's residence were armed with guns. The clashes erupted Tuesday after police arrived at the property to arrest Khan for failing to appear in court on corruption charges. Footage shared by Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party and local media showed police firing tear gas and water cannons at Khan's supporters on Tuesday in an effort to disperse them. The former prime minister's supporters threw stones in return, according to a tweet from Islamabad police. Protests also broke out in major cities across Pakistan on Tuesday in support of Khan, who released a video on social media asking his followers to "come out" in support of his movement if he is detained. Khan, who was ousted in a parliamentary no-confidence vote last April, has since led a popular campaign against the current government, accusing it of colluding with the military to remove him from office. He has accused Pakistani authorities of attempting to arrest him to remove him from upcoming by-elections in April and a general election scheduled for October. "[The government], they're petrified that if I come into power, I will hold them accountable," Khan told CNN on Tuesday. "They also know that even if I go to jail, we will swing the elections no matter what they do." The former leader says the charges against him are politically motivated and has warned that attempts to arrest him could lead to a dangerous escalation in political violence in the country. He also believes that Pakistan's ruling coalition might eventually use a "pretext of violence" to delay the upcoming votes. In a statement to CNN, Pakistan's information minister denied any political involvement in the case. "The government has nothing to do with the arrest (of Khan), and the arrest has nothing to do with elections. The police is only complying with the orders of the court," Marriyum Aurangzeb said. "Instead of cooperating with law enforcement officials, Imran Khan is breaking the law, defying court orders and using his party workers as human shields to evade arrest and stoke unrest," she added. As clashes escalated Tuesday, police cut the electricity supply to Khan's home and turned street lights off in the wider Zaman Park neighborhood, according to Khan's spokesperson and other backers. "We are ready to face all kinds of fascism to protect Imran Khan," Musarrat Cheema, a former spokesperson for the Punjab government, wrote on Twitter. "The entire nation stands with Chairman Imran Khan." In a tweet, Khan said he had signed a "surety bond" that would guarantee his appearance in the court by a March 18 deadline, and senior aide Fawad Chaudhry said Khan's party, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, had asked the court to stop the police from arresting him. According to a list shared by Information Minister Aurangzeb last year, the gifts given to Khan included seven expensive wrist watches, including one valued at 85 million Pakistan rupees. — Agencies
