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Officers have arrived at the residence of former Prime Minister Imran Khan in a bid to arrest him in a case related to the purchase and sale of gifts, Aljazeera reported. In a series of tweets on Sunday, the police said Khan was “avoiding” arrest after officers arrived at his home in Lahore, adding that a police superintendent had “gone to the room” but the 70-year-old was not there. On Tuesday, an Islamabad sessions court issued a non-bailable arrest warrant for the former PM for avoiding hearings in connection with the illegal purchase and sale of gifts received from foreign dignitaries when he was prime minister. Khan has denied the charges. Khan was removed from power in April last year after he lost a parliamentary vote of confidence and is facing dozens of cases against him, ranging from “terrorism” to corruption. On Sunday, police officials, who had travelled from the capital Islamabad, were seen outside the entrance of Khan’s Zaman Park residence in the eastern city of Lahore. Khan’s supporters and members of his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) party gathered in their hundreds to protest against the arrest of their party head. Islamabad Police Inspector General Akbar Nasir Khan told Geo News TV channel that the team went to Lahore to arrest Khan and not just to serve the warrant. Nasir added that according to the law, the first step of a non-bailable arrest warrant was to serve notice to the accused and make the arrest immediately, according to Aljazeera. During a public event on Sunday, interior minister Rana Sanaullah said the police came to serve the warrant and will subsequently update the court. Speaking to journalists outside Khan’s home, PTI party leader and former information minister Fawad Chaudhry confirmed that the police had come to execute the warrant. “Police says Imran Khan is avoiding arrest. However, the police’s insistence to arrest Khan is illegal,” he said. “They want Imran Khan to go to court where security is lax and there’s a risk to his life.” PTI vice chairman Shah Mahmood Qureshi said discussions with the party’s legal team will take place before deciding on any future course of action later on Sunday. “We are a political party, we will react politically. We will strategise. Imran Khan’s life is at risk. He has already suffered an attack, and we fear there’s another attack planned. We have to protect him from it,” Qureshi told reporters. “Imran Khan has protective bail. The government is trying to create a law-and-order situation.” In November last year, the 70-year-old former national cricket captain was shot in the leg when his anti-government protest convoy came under attack in the city of Wazirabad. One of Khan’s supporters died after sustaining bullet wounds while more than a dozen people were injured.

Sudurpaschim Province Chief Minister Kamal Bahadur Shah won a vote of confidence from the provincial Parliament on Sunday. Shah won the vote of trust by securing 41 votes in the 53-member Provincial Assembly. As many as 11 votes were cast against the vote of confidence motion. Chief Minister Shah was supported by Nepali Congress, CPN (Maoist Center), Nagarik Unmukti Party, CPN (Unified Socialist) and independent lawmakers. CPN-UML and Rastriya Prajatantra Party lawmakers voted against him. In the 53-member Provincial Assembly, Nepali Congress has 19 lawmakers, CPN-UML 10, CPN (Maoist Center) 11 (with Speaker), Nagarik Unmukti Party seven, CPN (Unified Socialist) four, Rastriya Prajatantra Party one and independent lawmaker one. Shah of the Nepali Congress was appointed as the Chief Minister of the Sudurpaschim Province on February 9 after then Chief Minister Rajendra Singh Rawal failed to win the vote of confidence from the provincial Parliament.

The CPN (Maoist Center) has said that its attention has been drawn towards the order of the Supreme Court to its administration to take petitions against Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal. The Maoist Center expressed its objection after a division bench of Justices Ishwor Khatiwada and Hari Phuyal ordered the Supreme Administration to register writs against Dahal, also the Chairman of the CPN (Maoist Center). Earlier, when advocate duo Gyanendra Raj Aran and Kalyan Budhathoki had filed writs against Dahal, the Supreme Court registrar had ruled that the petition cannot be registered. Then rebels had kidnapped and murdered advocate Aran’s father Tilakraj. Similarly, advocate Budhathoki’s father was displaced. During a program held on January 15, 2020, Dahal had said that out of 17, 000 people killed in the Maoist insurgency, 5,000 were killed by the Maoist and he would take the responsibility for it. Issuing a statement on Sunday, Maoist Center General Secretary Dev Gurung said that the CPN (Maoist Center) would strongly condemn the activities carried out against Nepal's Constitution, people's war, 62/63 people's movement and progressive achievements. He said that the writ petitions were filed in contrary to the principle of judicial review and freedom of thought and expression guaranteed by the Constitution of Nepal. Saying that the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) and the Commission of Investigation on Enforced Disappeared Persons (CIEDP) were formed under the Comprehensive Peace Agreement to look into the incidents that occurred during a decade-long Maoist insurgency, Gurung said, “As Commissions have been working for a long time to complete the judicial proceedings, we would like to remind that no action can be taken or take decision in this regard which would adversely affect the issues within the jurisdiction.” Gurung appealed to the political parties in favor of the peace agreement, general people in favor of peace and international communities to unite saying that activities against the transitional justice law would create serious challenges to the established peace process in the country. The petitioners demanded that court take necessary legal action against Prime Minister Dahal for killing 5, 000 people he owned up.                  

The CPN (Maoist Center) has decided to give a vote of confidence to Sudurpaschim Chief Minister Kamal Bahadur Shah following the directive of party Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal. A Parliamentary Party meeting of the CPN (Maoist Center) held on Sunday morning decided to give a vote of confidence to Chief Minister Shah. Talking to journalists after the meeting, CPN-UML Province Assembly member Om Bikram Bhat said that the meeting has decided to give a vote of trust to Chief Minister Shah. A Parliamentary Party meeting of the CPN-UML is underway to take a decision on whether to give a vote of confidence to Chief Minister Shah or not. The Nagarik Unmukti Party has not made any decision to give a vote of trust to Chief Minister Shah. Earlier on Saturday, Unmukti Party Chairperson Ranjita Shrestha had said that a trust vote cannot be given without a written agreement. Shah is taking a vote of confidence today. A Parliamentary meeting has been called at 1 pm today to seek a vote of confidence.