Lahore: The interim government in Pakistan's Punjab province on Wednesday claimed that some '30 to 40' terrorists are hiding at the Lahore residence of former prime minister Imran Khan, giving him an ultimatum of 24 hours to hand them over or face stern action.
The police in March had stormed the Zaman Park residence of Khan to arrest him but strong resistance of his party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, workers thwarted that plan. "We have received an intelligence report that some 30 to 40 terrorists who were involved in attacking the military installations, especially Lahore Corps Commander House on May 9, are hiding at Zaman Park residence of Imran Khan. We give an ultimatum of 24 hours to Khan and his party to hand them over to police or face stern action," Punjab's caretaker information minister Amir Mir said at a press conference.
Mir, who is the brother of known anchor Hamid Mir, asked Khan to take this ultimatum seriously as the law enforcement agencies have reserved the right to arrest the terrorists from his house. Referring to the May 9 protesters as 'terrorists', Mir said the government was aware of their presence at Khan's Zaman Park residence as it had credible intelligence reports.
"The intelligence report that has come is very alarming," Mir said, adding that the agencies were able to confirm the presence of the "terrorists" in Zaman Park through geo-fencing. Geo-fencing is a technology that allows the movements of a person, vehicle, etc. to be recorded or limited using satellite signals. Recalling the recent violent protests in the country following the arrest of ousted prime minister Khan, Mir alleged that "The PTI leadership had planned the attack before the arrest [of Imran Khan]."
The arrest of 70-year-old Khan on May 9 by the paramilitary Rangers at the Islamabad High Court premises triggered violent protests by his supporters across Pakistan. For the first time in Pakistan's history, the protesters stormed the army headquarters in Rawalpindi and also torched the Corps Commander's house in Lahore.
Police put the death toll in violent clashes to 10 while Khan's party claims 40 of its workers lost their lives in the firing by security personnel. Mir alleged that Khan has been targeting the military for over a year under a set plan. The interim information minister said that the government has adopted a zero tolerance policy" towards violence and interim Chief Minister Mohsin Naqvi has given a free hand to the Punjab Police to deal with arsonists. "Several arsonists were in touch with people inside Zaman Park during the attack on the Corps Commander House. They will be made an example so that no one will carry out such an act in the future, Mir said.