Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader and former federal minister Hammad Azhar has been arrested in Multan.
Police sources said on Sunday that the custody of the arrested leader has been handed over to the Lahore Police for further legal action.
Hammad Azhar faces several cases linked to the violent unrest of May 9, 2023, and has remained a proclaimed offender in these cases since the day of the riots.
In August 2024, he stepped down as president of PTI’s Punjab chapter, citing difficulties in communicating with incarcerated party founder and former prime minister Imran Khan, along with restrictions placed on his movements.
Following the registration of multiple cases over the May 9 violence, Azhar had remained in hiding.
The unrest began after Imran Khan was arrested from the Islamabad High Court premises in connection with a corruption case. His detention triggered widespread protests by PTI supporters across the country.
Demonstrators attacked and damaged public and military facilities, with prominent sites including the Corps Commander House in Lahore and the General Headquarters (GHQ) in Rawalpindi among those targeted. Imran Khan remains the only Pakistani prime minister to have been removed from office through a no-confidence vote.
