In a swift crackdown following the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) rally on the outskirts of the federal capital, law enforcement agencies arrested several top PTI leaders. The arrests began late Monday and targeted prominent figures, including PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan, Sher Afzal Marwat, and Waziristan MNA Zubair Khan, with reports suggesting more detentions are imminent.
Barrister Gohar Ali Khan and Sher Afzal Marwat were apprehended separately outside the Parliament House after attending Monday’s assembly session. A sizable police presence swiftly moved in as they exited the building, bundling them into vehicles. Zubair Khan was also detained, though details about his arrest remain limited.
Lawyer Shoaib Shaheen faced a surprise raid at his office in Islamabad’s G-9 sector, where security forces apprehended him along with members of his staff who attempted to resist the arrest. Footage circulating on social media captured the incident.
Sources within law enforcement revealed that multiple cases had been filed against PTI leaders and supporters in connection with Sunday’s rally, primarily at Sangjani and Noon police stations. One case focused on the violation of the no-objection certificate (NOC) issued for the rally, while another addressed an attack on a police contingent. These cases had initially been sealed, preventing PTI members from obtaining pre-arrest bail, but were reportedly unsealed Monday evening, allowing for the arrests to proceed.
PTI leaders Zain Qureshi, Zartaj Gul, Omer Ayub, Sheikh Waqas Akram, and Seemabia Tahir are also wanted by authorities, but some reportedly took refuge within the Parliament House to avoid arrest. Security forces have since deployed teams around key federal exit points and in the vicinity of the Parliament, intensifying efforts to detain more PTI leaders by Tuesday morning.
Meanwhile, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur, who delivered a fiery speech during Sunday’s rally, is believed to be hiding in Islamabad’s KP House. Law enforcement has surrounded the building, with reports suggesting a plan to place Gandapur under house arrest. While the KP government’s spokesperson initially claimed no knowledge of the chief minister’s whereabouts, subsequent reports indicate that the KP leader may have been taken into custody.
In a statement posted on X (formerly Twitter), PTI denounced the arrests as an attack on democracy, accusing the government of “illegally arresting and abducting PTI’s elected members of parliament.” The party linked the crackdown to its recent power show at Sangjani, asserting that the government is suppressing the opposition through unlawful means.
