Pak: Imran Khan's Lahore residence faces possible security operation

Media reports suggest that Punjab Police in Pakistan may initiate a security operation on Thursday to apprehend the alleged terrorists who are believed to be hiding in former Prime Minister Imran Khans residence in Lahore The provincial government had issued a 24hour ultimatum for Khan to hand them over which has now expiredThe interim government in Punjab claimed on Wednesday that approximately 30 to 40 terrorists were holed up inside Khans Zaman Park residence and warned of stern action if they were not surrendered within the given timeframe Consequently all roads leading to Zaman Park have been sealed off and a significant presence of law enforcement personnel can be seen in the vicinity according to a report by Geo NewsSources cited by the news outlet revealed that the Inspector General of Punjab Police and the Capital City Police Officer have instructed the police to remain vigilant in the situationOn Wednesday Khan took to Twitter and shared a video showing scenes outside my house while I was addressing the nation The footage depicted a large contingent of police officers and numerous police vehicles moving in a single directionDuring his video address from his Zaman Park residence Khan expressed concerns that Pakistan was heading towards a looming disaster and could face a situation similar to what occurred in East Pakistan He stated I am having a frightening dream that the country is heading towards an imminent disasterDisputing the Punjab governments claim about terrorists hiding in his Lahore home Khan insisted that the authorities must lawfully search his house with a search warrant emphasizing that his own life was also at risk in the presence of terrorists He cautioned against using this situation as an excuse to crackdown on his political party the Pakistan TehreekeInsaf PTI stating But dont make this an excuse to launch a crackdown on the countrys largest political party the PTIKhan further warned This is high time that the powers that be should sensibly rethink otherwise the country might face an East Pakistanlike situationIn March the police had attempted to arrest Khan by storming his Zaman Park residence but the strong resistance from his party workers foiled their planAlso readPakistan Deadline given to Imran Khan to hand over alleged terroristsFollowing his address Khan allowed representatives from electronic and digital media to visit his residence and witness for themselves that there were no terrorists present in Zaman Park The media personnel who visited the house subsequently reported that only domestic workers and some policemen were insideEarlier on Wednesday Khan tweeted Probably my last tweet before my next arrest Police have surrounded my houseOn May 9 violent protests erupted following Khans previous arrest leading to the vandalism of several military installations including the Jinnah House Lahore Corps Commander house Mianwali airbase and the ISI building in Faisalabad It marked the first time the mob attacked the Army headquarters GHQ in Rawalpindi The clashes resulted in a death toll of 10 according to the police while Khans party claimed that 40 of its workers lost their lives in firing by security personnelResponding to the recent incidents of violence Pakistan Army Chief Gen Asim Munir vowed on Wednesday to bring to justice all those responsible for bringing shame to the nation on May 9 He declared that such orchestrated tragic incidents would never be tolerated in the futureEarlier this week the top military leadership pledged to prosecute the arsonists who attacked civil and military installations under the relevant laws of the country including the Pakistan Army Act and the Official Secrets ActImran Khan was removed from power in April last year after losing a noconfidence vote in his leadership which he alleged was part of a USled conspiracy targeting him because of his independent foreign policy decisions on Russia China and AfghanistanWith inputs from PTI