Top PTI leaders including Omar Ayub taken into custody in Rawalpindi

Police arrested Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) senior leaders including the Opposition Leader in the National Assembly Omar Ayub in Rawalpindi on Thursday.

Alonside Ayub, other PTI leaders include Raja Basharat, Ahmed Chattha, and Azim-ud-Din.

PTI lawyer Rana Mudassar told reporters that Ayub and Basharat were arrested by policemen at Adiala Jail's check post. He added that it was unclear what charges led to the arrests of the PTI leaders.

The arrested leaders are expected to be produced before an anti-terrorism court (ATC) today as the party's legal team challenged their detention.

The ATC issued directives to the concerned authorities for producing the PTI leaders at 7:30pm today.

PTI lawyer Faisal Chaudhry said that five party leaders arrested by police have been shifted to Police Lines, Rawalpindi.

Sources within the Rawalpindi Police told Geo News that the police declared Ayub's arrest in separate cases lodged at police stations in Attock, Hassan Abdal.

They added that Basharat and Chattha have been also been arrested in some cases not identified by police, whereas, Raja Majid and Malik Azim were arrested in a case lodged at Dhamial Police Station.

Additionally, the police submitted a report to the ATC Rawalpindi following the arrests and decided to produce the PTI leaders before the court on Friday (tomorrow).

The development came after the indictment of PTI founder Imran Khan along with 99 other accused in General Headquarters (GHQ) attack case related to May 9, 2023, violent protests earlier today.

Ayub was among 100 accused indicted in the anti-terror case carries charges of inciting the workers and supporters to attack military and government installations following the arrest of the ousted prime minister by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) last year.

Ayub had secured bail in some cases, including GHQ attack and D-Chowk protest, however, it did not end his legal woes as he was booked in six new cases under various charges following the party’s November 24 “final call” protest in Islamabad that saw fierce clashes between the law enforcers and the PTI workers last week.

Subsequently, a special Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) in Rawalpindi had dismissed an acquittal petition yesterday, filed by the opposition leader in the GHQ attack case, registered against 120 people including PTI senior leader Shah Mahmood Qureshi.

In the GHQ attack case, Ayub had dismissed the charges against him saying there was neither evidence of his presence at the scene nor he was directly or indirectly related to the case.