Zaman Park raid: PTI to register cases against 'all police officers' defying court orders

• PTI summons meeting with party's legal team.
• Police defied court orders, Fawad says.
• PTI workers attack Elite Force van in Lahore.

LAHORE: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Senior Vice-President Fawad Chaudhry Sunday said the party will get cases registered against police officers involved in the illegal operation and violence during raid to arrest Chairman Imran Khan in his Zaman Park residence in Lahore.

A day earlier, after the PTI chief left for the Islamabad Judicial Complex to appear before a court, the Punjab Police resumed an operation at his residence, broke into it and arrested several party workers.

Taking to Twitter, Fawad said that the party has summoned a meeting with its legal team.

"Today, a meeting of the legal team has been called. The way in which the police defied the Lahore High Court’s decision entering Imran Khan‘s residence has trampled every rule of the home’s sanctity. [things were] stolen. [They] also took away juice boxes. Innocent people were subjected to torture," he tweeted.

The party leader wrote that whatever happened in Islamabad, including all the incidents, are a reason for the ongoing constitutional crisis in the country.

"Defying court order is unforgivable. The high court should guard its judgment. Cases are being registered on all police officers who conducted illegal operations and were involved in violence," Fawad wrote on the microblogging site.

PTI workers booked in different cases

Around 102 PTI workers Sunday were booked on the police’s complaint for attacking them during raid to at Chairman Imran Khan’s Zaman Park residence in Lahore, police told Geo News.

The case was registered against the PTI workers under the 13 different provisions including terrorism and attempted murder.

The first information report stated that the police team entered the PTI chief’s residence with a search warrant issued by an anti-terrorism court.

It added that 300 unknown workers attacked the police, as soon as talks began.

The workers, according to the FIR, were trying to throw petrol bombs which is when the police controlled them.

The FIR mentioned that rifles were recovered from Khan’s residence during the search and that the party’s workers attacked the police on their senior leadership’s behest.

Meanwhile, the party’s leaders and workers have also been booked in two different cases for attacking the Elite Force’s van and torturing a policeman after they were returning from their Pakistan Super League (PSL) duties.

One case has been registered with Constable Shafiq, who was tortured by the workers, as the complainant. “PTI’s 40 workers subjected me to the worst torture,” the constable stated in the FIR.

Another case, registered on the complaint of an Elite Force personnel, was against the attack on the force’s vehicle, which the Khan-led party’s workers destroyed and threw in a canal.

All the aforementioned cases have been registered with terrorism, attempted murder, robbery, and other serious charges levelled against the party’s leaders and workers.

PTI workers attack Elite Force van 

PTI workers, on the other hand, attacked the Punjab Police Elite Force and its van while they returned from the Pakistan Super League’s (PSL) final match last night, Geo News reported on Sunday.

The Punjab government has decided to take action against those involved in the attack.

“Action will be taken against miscreants who attacked the Elite Force team and its vehicle,” spokesperson of the provincial government said.

The party’s workers hit the van with sticks and broke its windows. They also damaged the police van’s lights and windscreen, while the Elite Force personnel ran away to save their lives.

The PTI workers also had state-owned weapons in the vehicles under their control and stole two rifles, which is still in their possession, and left it completely destroyed.

A policeman was also tortured while he was returning from his duty.

Following the violence in which the Elite Force and police response unit vans were attacked by the Khan-led party's workers, the Lahore Police officials asked all officers going to or returning from their duty points to change their routes.

They have advised the personnel to not use the Zaman Park route when going towards Mughalpura, Lal Pul, and Dharmapura, while officers in uniform have been warned against passing from the area where Khan's home is located.

Lahore Police releases arrested students

Meanwhile, the three students arrested from Zaman Park on Saturday have been handed over to their family, the Capital City Police Lahore wrote on its Twitter.

The police stated that it decided not to put the students’ future in danger and won’t be taking any legal action against them.

The students were advised to support their parents who appreciated the police's initiative to secure their children’s future.

The students, who were asked by the police to steer clear of illegal activities, also promised to focus on their education.