Pakistan Taliban Commander Part of PTI Squad Preventing Imran Khan’s Arrest: Report

Top Pakistan journalist Hamid Mir has alleged that a commander of the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), also known as Pakistan Taliban, is part of the PTI mob that is preventing the arrest of ousted prime minister Imran Khan in the Toshkhana case.

Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaaf chief and former PM Imran Khan has been holed up in his home in the eastern city of Lahore, where clashes erupted earlier this week when police tried to detain him after he failed to show up at an earlier court hearing in the case.

Khan, who was ousted from office last April, is facing charges in several legal cases, including the Toshkhana corruption case, and also terrorism, over verbally threatening a female judge last year.

He is now due to appear in court in Islamabad on Saturday to answer the indictment that he had illegally sold state gifts as prime minister and concealed assets. Earlier this week, the Lahore High Court extended a pause in the effort to arrest Khan till Friday.

According to tweets and videos posted by veteran journalist Hamid Mir on Twitter, Maulana Iaqbal Khan is a former member of the TTP Swat’s Sufi Mohammad faction and is now a part of the Imran Khan-led standoff in Zaman Park.

“This is Maulana Iqbal Khan, who was earlier associated with the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan and was in jail following arrest…,” Mir said.

Khan was freed by Lt Gen Faiz Hameed (Retd) under the garb of peace talks and was made a part of the PTI by then Khyber Pakhtunkhwa chief minister Mahmood Khan, the journalist added. “He is in Zaman Park, Lahore these days.”

Punjab’s caretaker Information Minister Amir Mir had also alleged the presence of “militant elements” outside Imran Khan’s Zaman Park house. Addressing a press conference with IG Police Usman Anwar, Amir Mir had said that authorities had received information about the presence of militants at the site.

Imran Khan has always publicly supported the rehabilitation of TTP militants and Mujahideen in Pakistan. In an interview in January this year, Khan had reiterated his desire to rehabilitate fighters of the banned TTP, lamenting that the incumbent Shebaz Sharif government did not provide necessary resources to achieve this goal.

“When the militants came [to Pakistan], they were not rehabilitated or given any proper attention, and no money was spent on them,” Khan had said. “We were afraid that if we did not pay attention to them, it would lead to terrorism in different places, which is what happened,” Khan had added.

Meanwhile, the TTP has allegedly issued instructions to its men and affiliated networks to ensure people vote for Khan’s PTI in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab provincial polls. It also allegedly threatened to attack polling stations during elections.

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