LAHORE: Former prime minister and PTI founder Imran Khan has refused to undergo a polygraph test for the third consecutive time to evade the truth in a number of terrorism cases registered against him in Lahore, claims the Punjab government.

`The founder of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) has refused to undergo a polygraph test for the third time consecutively, thereby he is not only defying court orders but also evading the truth,` Punjab Information Minister Azma Bokhari said here on Thursday.

She alleged that Mr Khan had been deliberately avoiding the test for the past three days.

`He either makes excuses like he is asleep or eating or his lawyers are unavailable. It appears that he has not still come to terms with the fact that he is a convict, serving court sentences in jail. He must understand that this is Adiala Jail, not at his Bani Gala resi-dence,` she took a dig at Mr Khan.

The minister further said the Lahore police reached the prison on Thursday under court orders to conduct polygraph and photogrammetry tests of the PTI founder but he tried to evade the process by making various excuses.

`Mr Khan`s sisters and party leadership frequently cite court orders in their statements, yet the PTI founder himself is unwilling to comply with those very orders.

Ms Bokhari said May 9 (2023) riots were an open rebellion and a conspiracy against the state. The mastermind and facilitators of that day must face the consequences of their actions, she stressed.

A Lahore`s anti-terrorism court last week had allowed the police to conduct polygraph (lie detection) and photogrammetric (facial and voice analysis) tests of Imran Khan in 12 cases of May 9 riots againsthim.

Khan`s lawyer Barrister Salman Safdar had opposed the prosecution request for the tests, questioning the police decision to conduct the polygraph and photogrammetric tests over 730 days after the May 9 incidents. He said the tests could not be conducted without the consent of the accused. He argued that bail had already been granted to the former prime minister in 21 cases and the statements on the basis of which the police were seeking these tests had already been declared lawful by the Lahore High Court.

The tests are to be carried out in 12 cases, including those pertaining to Jinnah House and Askari Tower attacks.

Other cases include attacks on Shadman Police Station and party offices of the PML-N.

Mr Khan has been in jail since August 2023 in multiple cases. Zulgernain Tahir