Tensions rise as Pakistani ex-leader Khan refuses to allow search

Pakistan's political crisis escalated further on Friday as former prime minister Imran Khan refused to let police search his house despite their having court orders to do so.
Hundreds of police officers had laid a cordon around Khan's villa in the eastern city of Lahore where the former leader has been holed up for several months.
Officers had a court order to enter his house to arrest Khan's supporters, who allegedly stormed military installations at protests against his arrest last week, police official Shah Hussain said.
Khan has initially agreed to let officers search his house after the police surrounded the compound on Tuesday, but refused to let them go ahead on Friday night, said Amir Mir, information minister of the province of Punjab.
Khan, who was removed by the parliament through a no-confidence vote last year, was arrested on May 8 by the anti-graft agency on corruption allegations. He was released on bail two days later.
The ousted leader won a controversial election in 2018 with the alleged support of the military, but had a fallout with powerful general three years later. Khan blamed the army chief of ordering his arrest.
Khan said he would not hand his supporters over to the police because he feared they would be tortured. Most of them face terrorism and arson charges.
Nearly 7,000 members and supporters of Khan's party have already been arrested and were set to face summary trials under the country's military laws, the government announced this week.
As Khan hardened his position against the military, dozen of parliamentary members of his party defected to other groups. They condemned him for inciting people to violence, undermining the populist leader's quest to seek another term.