Punjab govt negotiates SOPs for search operation at Imran's Zaman Park residence

Pakistan 
Punjab govt negotiates SOPs for search operation at Imran's Zaman Park residence

Lahore (Web Desk): A delegation of the Punjab government on Friday visited Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman and former premier Imran Khan's Zaman Park residence in Lahore to negotiate the Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for search of the house.

Under the supervision of the Lahore Commissioner Commissioner Lahore Muhammad Ali Randhawa, a team including police and other government officials entered Zaman Park and presented the search warrant to Imran Khan's lawyers.

The government team included Lahore DCO Rafia Haider, DIG Police Operations Sadiq Ali Dogar, and SSP Sohaib Ashraf.

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As per the reports, the government's negotiation team, after securing search warrants from an anti-terrorism court, was at Zaman Park for more than an hour and discussed the SOPs with the PTI chief and his legal team, but they could not make headway.

In a post on Twitter, the PTI has said that the “people who visited party chairman Imran Khan’s Zaman Park residence with arrest warrants were fully satisfied”.

“We believe in the rule of law, therefore, they were given full cooperation,” it added.

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However, Punjab Interim Information Minister Amir Mir has said that a team was sent to PTI Chairman Imran Khan’s residence today to finalise “SOPs for the search of the house”.

The minister debunked reports that a search operation was conducted at the former prime minister’s residence.

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Earlier today, the Lahore Police claimed to arrest six more "terrorists" attempting to flee Zaman Park on Thursday night.

According to Lahore Capital City Police Officer (CCPO) Bilal Saddique Kamyana, four of the apprehended suspects were involved in vandalising Askari Tower, while the remaining two were linked to the attack on Corps Commander House in Lahore.

The arrests come a day after Punjab interim Information Minister Amir Mir on Thursday night said that police had arrested eight “terrorists” when they were trying to escape from Zaman Park where Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan’s residence is situated.

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The detained terrorists were already identified and are allegedly involved in the attack on the Lahore Corps Commander House on May 9, he had said.

On Wednesday, the Punjab government had claimed that "30-40 terrorists were hiding inside Imran Khan's residence" and gave 24 hours to PTI to hand over these miscreants or face action.