RAWALPINDI: Top leaders from the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and a Sunni Ittehad Council’s (SIC) chief were arrested by the Punjab Police on Tuesday.

Opposition party leaders Omar Ayub, Asad Qaiser, Malik Ahmad Khan Bhachar, and SIC Chairman Sahibzada Hamid Raza were taken into custody when they went to meet PTI founder Imran Khan in Rawalpindi’s Adiala jail.

Imran Khan, the former prime minister, has been imprisoned for more than a year now and the PTI leaders often hold meetings with him to discuss their political strategies. Raza’s SIC is an ally of Khan’s party and the PTI lawmakers are currently shown as SIC members in parliament.

Aliya Hamza Malik was also part of the delegation that met the PTI founder; however, she was not arrested as she was standing at a distance from the other leaders.

Ayub, the opposition Leader in the National Assembly, prior to his arrest, told reporters that the party leaders had arrived at Adiala jail after a court allowed them to meet Imran.

In conversation with Geo News, Opposition Leader in the Senate Faraz said that they had come to meet the PTI founder to discuss the protest strategy with him as well as exchange views on the party’s future strategy.

In response, police personnel informed Geo News that the top politicians had been arrested for violating Section 144, which was imposed in Pindi earlier this week ahead of the party’s anticipated rally.

In a statement, the former ruling party said that the politicians were arrested “unjustly” for “simply exercising their right to meet with Imran Khan, as permitted by law”. The PTI also demanded: “Immediately release them!”

This is a developing story and is being updated with more details.