Clashes erupted in the Pakistani capital on Saturday between supporters of former Prime Minister Imran Khan and the Metropolitan Police, with the announcement that Khan's march has arrived at the judicial complex in the capital, to appear before the Supreme Court to answer accusations against him about gifts he received while in power.

Al Jazeera's correspondent in Pakistan said the capital's police fired tear gas canisters to disperse pro-Imran Khan demonstrators in the vicinity of the judicial complex.

Police accused Khan's supporters of throwing stones at their troops, adding that his protesters attacked the judicial complex and set fire to a police station.

Imran Khan's Tehreek-e-Insaf said police fired tear gas at supporters near the judicial compound and targeted Khan's car to prevent him from appearing in court.

Reuters quoted a former aide to the prime minister as saying Khan had appeared before the Supreme Court and was now on his way back to his residence in northeastern Lahore.

Life-threatening

Imran Khan was quoted by Reuters as saying there was a greater threat to his life than before.

Khan said political opponents and the military were trying to prevent him from returning to power, which he overthrew by withdrawing parliament from his government last year.


Khan also sent a message to supporters from his car after leaving Lahore, warning them of a plot to arrest him in Islamabad.

He added – through his Twitter account – that the authorities are seeking to arrest him despite his release on bail in all cases for which he is being prosecuted, considering that the goal of the "siege" of Lahore was not to ensure his appearance before the court, but to imprison him so that he could not lead the election campaign, as he described.

Pakistani Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif in a tweet described Imran Khan's actions as bizarre in recent days, saying they "reveal his fascist tendencies", and accused his predecessor Khan of using the people as human shields and throwing petrol bombs at police.

Police Storming

Al Jazeera correspondent quoted sources confirming that police officers stormed Imran Khan's house in Lahore, and Lahore police said they confiscated weapons and ammunition from the house, and Reuters quoted the Punjab provincial police chief as saying that security arrested 61 people in the vicinity of Khan's house.

Al Jazeera correspondent quoted a Punjab provincial government official as saying police would work with the Civil Administration to remove makeshift tents that Khan's supporters had set up around his home and set up in an indiscriminate and illegal manner to counter security forces trying to arrest him last week.

The Islamabad High Court had prevented police from arresting Khan as he travelled between Lahore and Islamabad.

On Friday evening, the Lahore court suspended arrest warrants for the head of the Tehreek-e-Insaf in the Toshakhana criminal case, or "gift box".


The former prime minister is expected to be indicted in the case, and Imran Khan has said he faces 94 cases.

Prevent gatherings

The civil administration of the capital Islamabad announced the imposition of a law prohibiting gatherings and ordered the transfer of Imran Khan's trial from the Court of First Instance complex to the judicial complex, in whose vicinity additional security forces were deployed.

The administration also instructed that only Khan and his lawyer should have access to the judicial complex.