Imran unequivocally slams Jinnah House vandalism

KARACHI – Imran Khan, the leader of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), strongly denounced vandalism at the Jinnah House in Lahore on Friday during a rally for his party following his arrest in a graft case.

He said such incidents damaged Pakistan’s reputation while making an appearance before the Lahore High Court (LHC), adding: “It should not have happened what was witnessed on May 9.” After Imran Khan was detained by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) on the grounds of the Islamabad High Court (IHC) in the Al-Qadir Trust case, violent protests broke out in a number of cities across the nation, including Lahore, Karachi, Multan, and Gujranwala.

The situation turned ugly when the enraged protesters started entering the cantonment areas in Lahore. At one point, they barraged into the Jinnah House, the official residence of Lahore’s corps commander. The building was damaged while vehicles were set ablaze, with some elements looting things from the house.

The incident drew widespread condemnation.

Speaking about the allegations regarding providing shelter to “terrorists,” Mr Khan said he took the media persons inside his house to show them that there was no terrorist hiding. He blamed the PDM had damaged the repute of the country by taking such measures, adding that the coalition had been trapped by arresting over 7,000 PTI workers.

He expressed hope that no one could defeat his party as it was at the height of popularity.

Meanwhile, a bench of the LHC granted bail to Mr Khan in the Zille Shah murder case till June 2.