AK-47s, bullets recovered from Imran’s house, say police

LAHORE (Agencies): Police on Saturday allegedly recovered assault rifles and a cache of bullets from Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan’s Zaman Park mansion in a search operation, detaining over 60 party cohorts accused of resorting to hostilities to obstruct the law.

Hours after Khan hit the road to attend the Toshakhana case hearing in the capital on Saturday, Punjab Police barged into his residence. The police and PTI supporters recently fought pitched battles outside the former prime minister’s home in Lahore, wounding several on both sides when the former tried to arrest Khan. However, a police operation was launched at Imran Khan’s residence this morning to clear the area of ‘security camps’ established by the party.

Punjab Inspector General of Police (IGP) Usman Anwar, in a press conference, said police had finished the search and cleanup operation in Zaman Park and took into custody AK-47 assault rifles and a large number of bullets from Imran Khan’s mansion in Lahore’s posh neighbourhood. Moreover, glass bottles, suspected to be used in making Molotov cocktails, and hundreds of marbles for being shot at police with slingshots were also collected from Khan’s house.

Later, he said five more Kalashnikovs were also found on Khan’s property. To a question, the IG said the legal status of the guns — whether they were licensed or not — was being evaluated. He said before the operation, the roads around the park were blocked with shipping containers, “which now have been cleared “. The police conducted the search operation with water cannons, contingents of fully-equipped riot police, lady police, and prisoner vans, the top Punjab cop said, adding that anti-encroachment personnel also accompanied the police along with heavy earthmoving machinery.