Pakistan: Punjab Police arrive at former PM Imran Khan's Lahore residence; search underway

Search operation of former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan's residence is underway after he consented to Pakistan authorities searching his home for supporters accused of attacking military facilities in last week's unrest, a move that could cool tensions between the former premier and the government.

Imran Khan (70) had earlier defied a Thursday deadline set by the government of Punjab province to hand over dozens of people accused of being involved in the violence. Officials searched Khan's heavily guarded compound in Lahore.

The 70-year-old leader has said he has nothing to hide and invited the media to check his residence in the upscale neighborhood of Zaman Park. The political drama is unfolding as Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif's government is struggling to steer an economy in deep crisis.

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On Friday, Punjab Police arrived at Khan's Zaman Park residence to conduct a search operation to find terrorists reportedly hiding there. The delegation comprises Lahore Commissioner Muhammad Ali Randhawa, Lahore Deputy Commissioner Rafia Haider, DIG Operations Sadiq Dogar and SSP Operations Sohaib, reports said.

According to the statement, the search will encompass a thorough examination of both the entrance and exit points of the residence, with the primary objective of finding terrorists hiding at the place.

On Wednesday, the Punjab government claimed that "30 to 40 terrorists were hiding inside Khan's residence," and gave an ultimatum of 24 hours to his party to hand over the miscreants.

However, no action was taken after the deadline expired on Thursday. Mir said law enforcers will conduct a search operation at Khan's residence after his permission and in front of cameras to apprehend "terrorists", Geo TV reported.

"We [the interim government] have decided that instead of a head-on collision, we will send a delegation to Khan sahab under the supervision of the Lahore commissioner," Mir was quoted as saying in the report.

"They will ask him [Khan] to allow them to conduct a search operation. A police party  comprising 400 personnel  will accompany the delegation as there is a reported presence of terrorists," he said.

Meanwhile, Lahore Capital City Police Officer (CCPO) Bilal Saddique Kamyana claimed to have arrested six more terrorists attempting to flee from Khan's Zaman Park residence.

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On Friday, an anti-terrorism court here approved pre-arrest bail till June 2 to Khan in three terrorism cases filed against Pakistan's former prime minister in the wake of violence that erupted after his arrest on May 9.

In a video-link address from his Zaman Park residence here on Wednesday, Khan, 70, said Pakistan is heading towards an imminent disaster and it may face disintegration.

Khan on May 9 by the paramilitary Pakistan Rangers at the Islamabad High Court premises triggered unrest in Pakistan.

For the first time in Pakistan's history, the protesters stormed the army headquarters (GHQ) in Rawalpindi and also torched a 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.

On Monday, the top military brass vowed to bring the arsonists, who attacked the civil and military installations, to justice through trial under relevant laws of the country, including the Pakistan Army Act and Official Secrets Act.

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Law enforcement agencies have arrested over 7,000 PTI workers across Pakistan, 4,000 of them from Punjab. Meanwhile, Lahore police claimed to have arrested 14 "terrorists" who were trying to flee from Khan's Zaman Park residence.

Khan, the cricketer-turned-politician, was ousted from power in April last year after losing a no-confidence vote in his leadership, which he alleged was part of a US-led conspiracy targeting him because of his independent foreign policy decisions on Russia, China and Afghanistan.

(With inputs from PTI)