• Imran Khan stepped out to meet PTI workers
• He was wearing a gas mask to protect himself
• PTI workers clashed with police outside Zaman Park

LAHORE: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chairman Imran Khan walked out of his residence in Zaman Park to meet party workers as they clashed with police.

The PTI chief was seen wearing a gas mask to protect himself after police fired several rounds of tear gas shelling at his residence. Imran Khan had displayed the canisters and said his residence was under attack.

A tense situation prevailed in the early hours of Wednesday as more police contingents were called to Zaman Park.

The stand-off between party supporters and law enforcers continued for more than 14 hours as police failed to arrest the former prime minister.

شدید شیلنگ کے باوجود عمران خان زمان پارک کارکنوں کے درمیان موجود#زمان_پارک_پُہنچو pic.twitter.com/hNRWTdKUTi

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— PTI (@PTIofficial) March 15, 2023

Amid calls from the party to yet again gather at Zaman Park, Imran addressed his supporters around 4:20 AM and said more attempts to arrest him were underway.

Speaking in a video message, Imran likened the day’s events to the situation in Illegally Indian Occupied Jammu and Kashmir.

“The way police attacked our people, there is no example of this. What is the reason for attacking a small number of people like this?”

Imran said to prevent any chaos, he gave an undertaking to the LHCBA president who then attempted to forward it to the DIG who was coming to arrest the PTI chief but the latter did not meet the president.

“According to Code of Criminal Procedure Section 76, if this surety bond is given to the arresting officer, then he can’t arrest,” Imran said.

The PTI chief said that the DIG had no reason to not accept the undertaking based on ill intentions.

“This is part of the London plan and an agreement has been signed there to put Imran in jail, make the PTI fall and finish all cases against Nawaz Sharif,” Imran alleged. He, however, stopped short of making any announcement.

Intermittent tear gas shelling continued on Wednesday morning at Zaman Park with more police and Rangers personnel and vehicles deployed.

Police were forced to retreat towards Mall Road after erecting a security barrier as PTI workers laid siege to the path leading to Imran’s residence.

Protests erupted in other cities including Islamabad, Peshawar, Karachi, Rawalpindi after the PTI chief called on his supporters to “come out” following police’s use of tear gas and water cannons outside Zaman Park.

اپنی قوم کے لئے میرا پیغام!pic.twitter.com/Dv3i9X0S1J

— Imran Khan (@ImranKhanPTI) March 14, 2023