More clashes in Pakistan as police try to arrest Imran Khan

Supporters of former Prime Minister Imran Khan throw stones as police fire tear gas to disperse them during clashes outside his house in Lahore Tuesday. Pic/AP

Supporters of former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan threw bricks at police who fought back with clubs and tear gas for a second day Wednesday after officers tried to arrest the ousted premier for failing to appear in court on graft charges.

The Lahore High Court later stopped police operation to arrest Khan till 10 am Thursday at Zaman Park, reported Dawn.

Police had besieged the 70-year-old opposition leader's house in Lahore since Tuesday as his supporters hurled rocks and bricks, and swung batons snatched from the officers.

Violence was also reported between Khan's supporters and police in other major cities, including Karachi, Islamabad, the garrison city of Rawalpindi, Peshawar, Quetta and elsewhere in Pakistan. The government sent additional police to Lahore's upscale area of Zaman Park, where Khan lives.

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Early Wednesday, Khan had emerged from his house to meet his supporters, who had faced tear gas and police batons through the night to save him from arrest. He said he was ready to travel to Islamabad on March 18 under his arrest warrant, but that police did not accept the offer.

Khan later posed for cameras seated at a long table, showing piles of spent tear gas shells he said had been collected from around his home.

"What crime did I commit that my house has been attacked like this," he tweeted.

Officials said security forces were told to move back from Khan's house while the court in Islamabad considered whether to suspend the warrant. The Punjab provincial government said Wednesday that more than 100 police officers were injured in clashes with Khan's supporters. They denied Khan's allegation that officers were using live ammunition.

Khan, who was ousted in a no-confidence vote in Parliament in April, was ordered to appear before a judge in Islamabad on Friday to answer charges of illegally selling state gifts he had received as premier and concealing his assets.

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