RAWALPINDI: Punjab Police briefly detained several Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leaders and Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC) Chairman Sahibzada Hamid Raza on Tuesday near Rawalpindi’s Adiala Jail.

The leaders, including Omar Ayub, Shibli Faraz, Asad Qaiser, Malik Ahmed Bhachar, and Sahibzada Hamid Raza, had arrived to meet PTI founder, who has been incarcerated for over a year.

The detained leaders were taken to Adiala Police Station. PTI criticized the arrests on X (formerly Twitter), stating: “Absolutely shameful! Omar Ayub Khan, Shibli Faraz, Asad Qaiser, Ahmed Bhachar, Sahibzada Hamid Raza have been arrested outside Adiala Jail for simply exercising their right to meet with the founder, as permitted by law.” The party further called the incident a blatant violation of basic freedoms and the rule of law.

Following the uproar, the police announced the release of all the detained leaders later that day.

Omar Ayub, the Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly, told reporters prior to his arrest that they had obtained court approval to meet Khan.

According to Opposition Leader in the Senate Shibli Faraz, the delegation aimed to discuss the party’s protest plans and future strategies with Khan. Police, however, justified the arrests by citing a violation of Section 144, which had been imposed in Rawalpindi earlier in anticipation of a PTI rally.

Meanwhile, an anti-terrorism court (ATC) in Rawalpindi issued an arrest warrant for PTI leader Sheikh Waqas Akram for failing to appear in two terrorism-related cases registered in the Attock district.

The PTI leadership has faced repeated arrests and legal challenges in recent months. In September, Islamabad police detained PTI members, including Barrister Gohar and MNA Sher Afzal Marwat, during a rally outside Parliament. They were later released after being accused of violating laws governing peaceful assembly and public order.