PTI leaders released after brief arrest outside Adiala Jail

Several top leaders of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and the Chairman of the Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC), Sahibzada Hamid Raza, were briefly detained by Punjab Police on Tuesday for allegedly violating Section 144, which restricts gatherings and protests. 

The leaders were taken into custody when they attempted to meet PTI founder and former Prime Minister Imran Khan at Rawalpindi's Adiala Jail.

The arrested PTI leaders included Omar Ayub, Asad Qaiser, and Malik Ahmad Khan Bhachar. Imran Khan, who has been incarcerated for over a year, regularly holds meetings with PTI leaders to discuss political strategies. The SIC, led by Raza, is a key ally of PTI, and PTI lawmakers are currently listed as SIC members in the National Assembly.

Aliya Hamza Malik, a member of the delegation, was also present at the jail but was not arrested. Sources say she was standing apart from the other leaders and was not involved in the immediate detention.

Before his arrest, Ayub, the Opposition Leader in the National Assembly, told reporters that the PTI leaders had arrived at Adiala Jail after receiving court approval to meet Imran Khan.

Shibli Faraz, the Opposition Leader in the Senate, speaking to private channel, confirmed that the purpose of the visit was to discuss the party's protest strategy and future political plans with Khan.

The leaders were later released following a brief detention, and the incident has drawn attention to the ongoing political tensions surrounding Imran Khan's imprisonment and PTI’s strategy. The arrests and subsequent release underscore the increasing scrutiny of opposition gatherings and the political environment in Pakistan.