Rawalpindi police on Thursday detained the top leaders of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and the sisters of jailed party founder Imran Khan.
The arrest came after the PTI leaders engaged in verbal altercation with police for not being allowed to meet the PTI founder incarcerated in Adiala jail.
National Assembly Opposition Leader Omar Ayub Khan, Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC) chief and PTI ally Sahibzada Hamid Raza and Punjab Opposition Leader Ahmed Khan Bhachar were detained by the police.
PTI founder sisters Aleema Khan, Noreen Khanum and Uzma Khanum were also taken into custody.
Overall, seven PTI leaders, including the ex-premier’s sisters and his cousin Qasim Khan, have been taken in a prison van by the police officials.
“We will arrest you all,” the police officials told the leaders and took them to the prison van after showing their arrest warrants.
“See this, they are arresting the Leader of the Opposition,” Ayub told reporters before being taken to the prison van, adding: “[…] the opposition leader in the Punjab Assembly, Hamid Raza, and other leaders are also present here.”
He went on to say that he did not let Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi to sit in the lower house. “What kind of law is this? There is always a rule of law in a hard state. Our ancestors rendered sacrifices for this nation.”
Speaking to Geo News, PTI spokesperson Sheikh Waqas Akram strongly condemned the arrest of the party leaders, calling it “extremely deplorable”.
He demanded the government to immediate release the detained PTI leaders and Khan sisters and warned of “strong public reaction” if the authorities didn’t stop using such tactics.
The arrests came over a week after PTI workers clashed with law enforcers near Rawalpindi’s Adiala jail, with police detaining multiple workers and leaders.
The confrontation occurred at the Gorakhpur checkpoint, where PTI workers had gathered and chanted slogans after the party leaders were denied permission to meet the jailed party founder.
In response, police resorted to baton-charging the protesters, while PTI supporters pelted stones at law enforcement personnel. Several PTI leaders and workers were taken into custody during the altercation.
The situation was defused after the Leader of Opposition in the National Assembly Omar Ayub intervened and assured the police of cooperation.
The police also detained Imran’s sisters — Aleema Khan and Uzma Khan — and PTI leader Aliya Hamza. PTI’s ally and SIC chief Sahibzada was also among those detained.
However, they were released hours later and left for their residence along with their cousin Qasim.
This is a developing story and is being updated with more details.
