Has Imran Khan fled Lahore? PTI chief not present at his residence as Cops arrive with arrest warrant

The cricketer-turned-politician is accused of receiving a luxury car from the government treasury and selling for profit a host of gifts he had received as Prime Minister from foreign dignitaries.

Islamabad Police have arrived at former Prime Minister and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief Imran Khan's residence at Zaman Park in Lahore with his arrest warrant in the Toshakhana case.

As the news broke out Local media reported that PTI workers have gathered at Imran Khan's Zaman Park residence after the arrival of police.

Islamabad Police have tweeted that it reached former Pak PM's residence to arrest him as per the court's orders.

With the police's arrival, people inside the PTI chief's residence showed resistance and did not open the doors of the house.

Imran Khan not present at his residence

When the police arrived, Khan's Chief of Staff Senator Shibli Faraz received the warrant for the PTI chief's arrest. Faraz informed the police that the former prime minister was not at Zaman Park but would comply with the law.

Earlier, a Pakistan court had issued a non-bailable arrest warrant against Khan over charges of unlawfully selling gifts received from heads of other nations and foreign dignitaries. District and Sessions judge Zaffar Iqbal issued the warrant in the Toshakhana case and adjourned the case till March 7.

The judge remarked that the chargesheet was to be filed today and the accused did not appear before the court despite repeated summons, hence the ruling.

What is Toshakhana case

The Toshakhana case refers to a case in Pakistan in which former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, former President Asif Ali Zardari and others were accused of illegally obtaining luxury vehicles and other gifts at the expense of the government treasury when they were in power.

Khan was also accused of receiving a luxury car from the government treasury during the tenure of former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. However, he has denied the allegations and claimed that he had returned the car to the treasury.

In August 2022, a reference was filed against Khan by the Pakistan government for 'not sharing details' of the Toshakhana gifts in annual assets submitted to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), which initiated an inquiry and announced its final verdict on 21 October 2022.

70-year-old cricketer-turned-politician was disqualified by the ECP under Article 63(1)(p) of the Constitution over "false statements and incorrect declaration" for buying gifts, including an expensive Graff wristwatch, a pair of cufflinks, an expensive pen, a ring and four costly Rolex watches that he had received as Prime Minister at a discounted price and selling them for profit.

Khan was ousted as Prime Minister in April last year after the National Assembly passed a no-confidence motion against him. The PTI chief, who came to power in 2018, is the only Pakistani Prime Minister to be ousted in a no-confidence vote in parliament.