Islamabad, Pakistan
CNN
—
Former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan greeted supporters outside his Lahore residence Wednesday, after police were ordered to suspend an operation to arrest him amid a violent standoff around the compound.
Khan was pictured in one video wearing a gas mask as he spoke to and took pictures with those who had gathered outside his property.
Police in Lahore had been attempting to arrest Khan for not showing up to court on corruption charges. Officers were ordered to suspend the operation until 10 a.m. local time on Thursday, after clashes between police and supporters of the embattled opposition leader stretched into a second day.
The intervention from the Lahore High Court Wednesday was made due to security concerns around a high-profile cricket match taking place in the city, with the judge citing the need to “maintain peace,” two Pakistani government officials familiar with the matter told CNN.
Police and paramilitary troops had arrived at Khan’s residence on Tuesday afternoon, the day after an arrest warrant was issued by the Islamabad High Court to force him to appear on Saturday. Khan’s supporters then camped outside his home, announcing they would not let the arrest happen.
Khan faces allegations of illegally selling gifts given to him by foreign dignitaries while he was in office, which he has rejected as “biased.”
The former prime minister, who was ousted in a parliamentary no-confidence vote last April, has since led a popular campaign against the current government, accusing it of colluding with the military to remove him from office.
The doorstep of Khan’s home in the eastern city was a battleground earlier Wednesday as riot police swarmed the wider Zaman Park neighborhood.
Khan’s…
