ISLAMABAD (AFP) – Pakistan police raided the headquarters of jailed former prime minister Imran Khan’s party yesterday, a week after the military-backed government vowed to ban the political movement.
An AFP journalist at the scene saw the headquarters of Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) sealed off by police, who led a number of party workers into waiting vans.
Pakistani media initially reported party chairman Gohar Ali Khan, a barrister, was among those taken away.
However, an official at Islamabad Police, who asked not to be identified because he was not authorised to speak to the media, told AFP that they had not arrested him.
The official confirmed the arrest of Raoof Hassan, a founding member of the party and head of its press department.
“Raoof Hasan was arrested but the police did not arrest Gohar Ali Khan,” the police official said.
The government’s information minister said last week it would ban Khan’s PTI, just days after the Supreme Court made a crucial ruling in the party’s favour that dealt a huge blow to the government.
Candidates loyal to Khan won the most seats in February elections but were kept from power by an alliance of usually feuding parties, led by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, with the key backing of the powerful military.
