Imran Khan says arrest aimed at election removal

Speaking to Al Jazeera from his residence in Lahore, Imran Khan said that the Pakistani government wants to arrest him in order to remove him from the upcoming provincial elections.

“They want to remove me from the electoral contest because they are petrified by the popularity of my party. According to all opinion polls we would sweep these upcoming elections,” Khan said.

Khan insisted that his supporters were exercising their fundamental right to peaceful protests. “The constitution and the law of the land gives you the right to protest.”  The former prime minister said his lawyers have the supreme court to combine all the cases filed against him and hear them in a secure place as there is a threat to his life. “When I attended my two court appearances, there was no security. The government itself has said that my life is under threat, therefore, all we ask if for them to club all the cases together.”

Police say they are at Imran Khan’s house in Lahore to hand over two arrest warrants alleging corruption and “terrorism”