PIC attack: 2nd raid conducted to arrest PM’s nephew

LAHORE: The Lahore police raided a farmhouse owned by Prime Minister Imran Khan’s nephew Hassaan Niazi on Saturday morning.

This was the second raid conducted to arrest the lawyer. His house in Lahore was raided on Friday, but Hassaan wasn’t home. He wasn’t there during the raid on the Raiwind farmhouse either.

The police say they conducted the raid after locating him using mobile data and intelligence. But Hassaan fled before the raid, they said.

He has been named in the case against lawyers who attacked the Punjab Institute of Cardiology (PIC) on Dec 11. He has been specifically implicated in the case involving the torching of a police van.

Footage went viral of Hassaan participating in the violent lawyers march on the PIC during which at least three patients died, 25 doctors were injured and infrastructure was destroyed.

Hassaan is the son of Hafeezullah Niazi. He wasn’t initially named in the FIR registered against over 200 lawyers on Thursday, but his name has now been added.

PM’s special assistant Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan said on Thursday PM Khan believed in the rule of law and even his nephew was not above the law.

Hassaan admitted that he participated in the protest on Twitter and said he felt ashamed of himself.