Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Hammad Azhar has approached an anti-terrorism court (ATC), seeking the removal of two CCTV cameras installed inside his jail cell, arguing that their surveillance violates his right to privacy and human dignity.
Azhar, a former federal minister who held portfolios including finance, industries and energy in the PTI government, had gone into hiding after the May 9 violence and reappeared publicly in May 2024.
In his application, Azhar disclosed that two CCTV cameras had been installed inside his cell, with their recording coverage extending to the bathroom and toilet areas.
The former federal minister described the installation as an intrusion into his private life and termed it contrary to basic human dignity.
The application also sought B-class facilities in jail, citing Rule 242(ii) of the Pakistan Prison Rules, 1978.
Azhar maintained that his current cell lacked basic facilities, including a bed, chair and table. He also offered to bear the expenses of arranging B-class facilities himself.
The application was filed before ATC Judge Manzer Ali Gill, who adjourned the hearing until November 24 and sent Azhar back to judicial custody.
Meanwhile, PTI Deputy Secretary General and Information Secretary Punjab Shaukat Basra criticised the surveillance in a post on X.
“Hammad Azhar, ex-Federal Minister, Barrister-at-Law & the man who spearheaded Pakistan’s FATF [Financial Action Task Force] compliance efforts, has stated that CCTV cameras are installed even in his prison cell, overlooking his washroom!
“This isn’t security, it’s political perversion & an utter collapse of morality, decency & human dignity!” Basra wrote.
Azhar’s arrest after prolonged disappearance
Azhar was arrested in Multan in early September 2026 after spending an extended period away from public view amid the cases registered against him following the May 9, 2023 violence.
His family raised concerns over his whereabouts after his reported arrest on September 5, with his mother approaching the Lahore High Court seeking his recovery and disclosure of the grounds for his detention.
He was subsequently produced before an ATC in Lahore on September 7 in connection with the Jinnah House attack case and handed over to police for investigation. The court initially granted investigators 21 days of physical remand, which was extended in subsequent hearings.
During the investigation, police sought additional time to examine evidence, including through forensic analysis and a proposed polygraph test. Azhar’s defence opposed the further remand, raising objections to the proposed test.
After approximately 50 days in police custody, an ATC on October 27 rejected the police request for further physical remand and sent him to Lahore’s Kot Lakhpat jail on judicial remand.
Three years in hiding
Azhar went into hiding following the May 9 unrest, when PTI supporters staged protests across the country after the arrest of party founder Imran Khan. He was subsequently wanted in multiple cases linked to attacks on public and military installations.
He first returned to public view on May 22, 2024, appearing at PTI’s central secretariat in Islamabad after nearly a year away from the political scene. He said Imran had asked him to resume his political activities.
Azhar made another brief public appearance in July 2025 to attend the funeral of his father, former Punjab governor Mian Muhammad Azhar. He later disappeared from public view again as police continued efforts to arrest him.
His legal troubles included cases concerning the attacks on Jinnah House and the Government Officers’ Residence (GOR) Gate in Lahore. Police also listed him among those wanted in connection with the May 9 violence in several cases.
In January 2026, a Lahore ATC declared Azhar and six other suspects proclaimed offenders in the GOR Gate attack case after they failed to appear before the court despite repeated opportunities.
In a separate proceeding, an ATC in Rawalpindi sentenced Azhar to 10 years in prison in March in the GHQ attack case. He was among 47 suspects convicted in connection with the May 9 violence, with the court also imposing a fine of Rs500,000 on each convict.
His arrest in September 2026 brought an end to his prolonged period of avoiding arrest, while investigations into the Jinnah House case continued before he was transferred to judicial custody.
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