LAHORE     -     Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan on Sunday came down hard on the ‘state institutions’ amid the arrest controversy in the Toshakhana case registered against him. The deposed prime minister — who was ousted from power in April last year — vented his rage while addressing party workers and supporters at Zaman Park residence in L a h o r e who participated in the "Jail Bharo Tehreek" (court arrest movement). Interestingly, Imran Khan's chief of staff Senator Shibli Faraz had claimed that the PTI chief was not at his Zaman Park residence. In his fiery speech, the PTI chairman said that he had neither kneeled before any institution or person nor would let the nation do so. Khan’s appearance came amid a swarm of PTI workers gathered at Zaman Park after the Islamabad police arrived at Imran Khan’s Lahore residence to make his arrest for the Toshakhana case.

On February 28, Additional Sessions Judge Zafar Iqbal of an Islamabad court issued the former prime minister’s non-bailable arrest warrant for continuously failing to appear before the court in the Toshakhana case. In the hard-hitting speech, Imran Khan said no matter if the government places his name on the exit control list (ECL) as he has no intention of leaving the country. Taking a dig at the leadership of the ruling Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) alliance, the PTI leader said that their legs start shaking if their “names are put on the no-fly list”.

Berating the former army chief, Khan alleged that Gen (retd) Qamar Javed Bajwa imposed a group of criminals on the country through a conspiracy. Addressing his party workers and supporters, Khan said that there is no security risk, adding that “they” wanted to “remove” (assassinate) him from the path. The deposed prime minister said that he was being dragged into the courts in fake cases. PTI senior leader Advocate Babar Awan, on March 3, had claimed there was strong evidence suggesting that a plan was being hatched by foreign agencies to launch another assassination attempt on PTI chairman. It should be noted that during the PTI long march, a gunman opened fire at the former prime minister in Wazirabad, Gujranwala district in November last year, injuring him in the legs. He went on to say: “The lawyers of Islamabad deem the Kachehri (Judicial Complex) as a death trap”. Khan claimed that his life was in danger and demanded that he should be allowed to attend the hearing of Toshakhana case via video link.

Khan maintained that his lawyers would write a letter to Chief Justice of Pakistan Umar Ata Bandial in this regard.