LAHORE: Police have arrested former Member of the National Assembly and former Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Punjab president Hammad Azhar, who had remained in hiding since the May 9, 2023 incidents.
According to police sources, Azhar was arrested in Multan and subsequently handed over to Lahore Police. The development comes after more than three years during which he remained largely out of public view.
Police sources said Azhar is wanted in connection with several cases registered over the violence and unrest that followed the arrest of PTI founder Imran Khan on May 9, 2023.
Wanted since May 9, 2023
According to police sources, Hammad Azhar had been declared a proclaimed offender in connection with multiple cases related to the May 9 incidents. Authorities had been searching for him since 2023.
Azhar briefly appeared in public following the death of his father. However, after that appearance, he once again went into hiding and remained away from public activities.
His arrest is likely to become another significant development in the long-running legal proceedings involving PTI leaders and workers accused in cases stemming from the May 9 unrest.
PTI leadership role
Hammad Azhar, a prominent PTI leader and former federal minister, had also served as president of the party’s Punjab chapter. During his political career, he represented the party in the National Assembly and held important responsibilities in the federal government.
His political activities became increasingly restricted following the May 9 events, when protests erupted in several cities across Pakistan after Imran Khan was arrested.
Government authorities subsequently launched a nationwide crackdown against PTI leaders and supporters accused of attacking military and government installations during the unrest.
Dispute within PTI
Azhar’s period in hiding also became a subject of discussion within PTI. During a party meeting, a reported confrontation took place between Azhar and then-Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur over the party’s political strategy and calls for workers to come out on the streets while senior leadership remained in hiding.
Azhar later resigned as PTI Punjab president, while Lahore PTI president Chaudhry Asghar also stepped down from his position.
His arrest now places one of the party’s prominent Punjab leaders directly in the legal process surrounding the May 9 cases.
Police are expected to present Azhar before the relevant court and seek further legal proceedings in the cases registered against him. The exact charges and the next steps will depend on the individual cases and court orders.
The May 9 cases have remained a major point of political and legal contention between PTI and the authorities, with the party maintaining that its leaders and workers have faced politically motivated action, while authorities have accused protesters of attacking sensitive state and military installations.
Azhar’s arrest after more than three years in hiding is therefore likely to attract considerable political and legal attention, particularly in Punjab, where many of the May 9-related cases were registered.
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