Pakistan’s police pull back from Imran Khan’s home after clashes with his supporters

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan — Pakistani police withdrew from around the residence of former Prime Minister Imran Khan after nearly 24 hours of clashes with his supporters, as officers tried to seek his arrest over corruption charges. The crisis comes as Pakistan stands on the brink of economic default.

Khan’s supporters hurled rocks and used sticks against the officers, at one point even lobbing a firebomb, as they formed a shield around Khan’s home in a leafy upscale suburb of the Pakistani city of Lahore. “These are workers that are actually battling the police,” says Arifa Noor, a columnist for the Pakistani newspaper Dawn. The police, she says, “did not estimate this kind of resistance.”

As the fighting raged, Khan went onto Twitter saying, “If something happens — if I’m jailed or if they kill me — it’s up to you to carry on fighting.”

The confrontation raged until Wednesday afternoon, when police abruptly withdrew. The information minister of Punjab province, where Lahore is located, said the high court there had ordered the arrest operation be held off until Thursday morning.

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.