Former PTI MPA Raja Azhar arrested

Former member of provincial assembly and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Sindh chapter leader Raja Azhar was taken into custody in the Saddar area in Karachi on Monday.

In a statement, former MNA and PTI leader Faheem Khan stated that Azhar was arrested in the Saddar area, and police had been trying to apprehend him for the last three days. He, however, contradicted claims that the ex-MPA was picked up by unidentified individuals who used harsh language. “I strongly condemn Azhar’s arrest.”

Khan said the way the sanctity of the PTI leader’s residence was violated was an extremely shameful act. Azhar was moved to an undisclosed location, and neither the party nor his family knew his whereabouts, he added.

In a statement, Karachi PTI President Khurrum Sher Zaman said the arrest was merely an act of revenge and a matter of deep concern. Unconstitutional arrests were weakening democracy in the country, he remarked.

Zaman said that in the past 15 months, there had been continuous violations of human rights; however, human rights organisations and the media were silent on the victimisation of the PTI. The Sindh police should stop making false allegations against the PTI and end the crackdown, he demanded.

The Karachi PTI spokesperson said in a statement that Azhar had been arrested by the Karachi police. He said Azhar was in his car when he was stopped at a tea stall near his hotel. He said the SHO of the Saddar police station arrested Azhar from the hotel premises after multiple police mobiles surrounded his car.