Omar Ayub among other PTI leaders arrested in Rawalpindi

Senior Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leaders, including Omar Ayub Khan, were arrested by police in Rawalpindi on Thursday.

Others taken into custody alongside Ayub included Raja Basharat, Ahmed Chattha, and Azim-ud-Din. PTI lawyer Rana Mudassar stated that Ayub and Basharat were arrested at Adiala Jail’s check post, but the charges against them remain unclear.

The detained leaders are expected to appear before an anti-terrorism court (ATC) today as the party’s legal team contests their detention.

This development follows the indictment of PTI founder and 99 others earlier in the day in the General Headquarters (GHQ) attack case, related to the violent protests of May 9, 2023.

Ayub, one of the 100 accused in the anti-terrorism case, is charged with inciting workers to attack military and government installations after the arrest of PTI founder by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) last year.

Although Ayub had secured bail in some cases, including the GHQ attack and the D-Chowk protest, his legal troubles continue, with six new cases filed against him following the party’s November 24 protest in Islamabad, which saw violent clashes with law enforcement.

A special ATC in Rawalpindi recently rejected an acquittal plea in the GHQ attack case, which involves charges against 120 individuals, including PTI leader Shah Mahmood Qureshi. Ayub, however, denied the allegations, stating there is no evidence linking him to the incident.