Interior ministry asks written permission from PM to arrest Imran Khan

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PM Shehbaz Sharif (left) and PTI chair Imran Khan.
PM Shehbaz Sharif (left) and PTI chair Imran Khan. 
  • PPP leader Asif Zardari opposes arrest of Imran Khan.
  • Arrest will be made with consensus of all parties in ruling alliance, say sources.
  • Imran Khan is seeking facility to approach higher judiciary to obtain relief, say sources.


The interior ministry asked written permission from Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif's office to arrest PTI Chairman Imran Khan after a case was registered against him under the Anti-Terrorism Act for threatening an additional sessions judge and senior police officers of the Islamabad Police at a rally in the federal capital’s F-9 Park, Geo News reported.

According to sources, the PTI chairman has left his residence Bani Gala to avoid arrest, however, he might have left for Lahore or Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

According to The News, the interior ministry has sought written permission from PM Office for the arrest of the PTI chair. Sources said the arrest will be made with the consensus of all parties in the ruling alliance.

Meanwhile, PPP leader and former president Asif Ali Zardari has opposed the arrest of Imran Khan. He believes that the arrest will cause political damage to the ruling alliance.

On the other hand, Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) President Maulana Fazlur Rehman did not give a clear viewpoint on Imran Khan’s arrest as PTI leader Murad Saeed claimed on Sunday night that the arrest warrants for Imran Khan had been issued.

Police deployed around Bani Gala

Additional police force has been deployed outside Imran Khan's Bani Gala residence and the road leading to his residence has also been closed for unauthorised people, allowing only people close to him and the residents of the area to enter, sources told Geo News hours after the registration of the case.

According to the The News , it is not yet decided whether Imran Khan would be arrested or put under house arrest, sources engaged in sketching the strategy of the operation told The News.

“Negotiations with Imran Khan are under way, as the PTI leader wants to avoid arrest or house arrest,” added the sources, saying that the authorities have multiple plans to handle the situation with the help of law-enforcement agencies, but were waiting for a green signal from the quarters concerned.

“Imran Khan is seeking the facility to approach the higher judiciary for obtaining relief, but he will have to surrender before the police as the first step,” the sources added.

Case registered against Imran Khan

A day prior, first information report (FIR) was registered against former prime minister Imran Khan under the Anti-Terrorism Act for threatening an additional sessions judge and senior police officers of the Islamabad Police at a rally in the federal capital’s F-9 Park.

The FIR states that the PTI chairman threatened Additional Sessions Judge Zeba Chaudhry and police officers at a rally in F-9 Park to “terrorise” police officials and judiciary. The main aim of the intimidation was to prevent the police officers and judiciary from carrying out their legal obligations, says the FIR.