ISLAMABAD: The government has withdrawn security from the residence of former premier Imran Khan at Banigala and called back police personnel and paramilitary troops.

Police’s public relations officer (PRO) confirmed that security in and around the former premier’s residence at Banigala has been lifted. Mr Khan has a private residence in Banigala but he has not been residing in Islamabad since several months, he added.

In their absence, Islamabad police or police of other provinces cannot be deployed, the PRO added. Officers of the capital police said that over 250 personnel of the capital, KP and Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) police along with Frontier Constabulary (FC) and Rangers were deployed with the former premier. Besides, four vehicles and 23 personnel of the capital police and a vehicle and five FC personnel have been dedicated to accompany him during his movement, they added.

After change of the regime, KP and GB police were called to Banigala House for internal and outer security along with FC, they said, adding that the capital police and Rangers were deployed around the house with some distance and roads leading towards it.

Earlier, in August 2022, the interior ministry asked the KP and GB governments to withdraw security being provided to the former premier at his Banigala residence without any requisition or rules of engagement without a proper command structure. In this regard, separate letters were sent to chief secretaries and inspector generals of police (IGPs) of both provinces.

The letter said that under the cabinet’s decision, Islamabad’s threat assessment committee considered Mr Khan’s case at its 18th meeting held on August 2022 and was informed that police personnel from KP and GB were also deployed at Banigala.

The civil administration called civil armed forces under “a specific process which is in vogue and in the knowledge of all stakeholders” and stressed that armed personnel were deployed at the PTI chief’s residence “without any requisition or rules of engagement with no proper command structure, which could lead to any untoward incident”.

“Therefore, the committee unanimously recommended that the respective command of above-mentioned departments be approached to withdraw the forces from the jurisdiction of the ICT (Islamabad Capital Territory),” it said.

Published in Dawn, January 28th, 2023