Salman Akram Raja released after four-hour detention

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Secretary General Salman Akram Raja said on Thursday that he and several party leaders were released after being detained for around four hours.

Raja said he was detained along with PTI leader Latasob Satti, Satti’s son Ikhlaq Ahmad Satti and several others while they were travelling to Kotli Sattian to attend the funeral of PTI worker Ijaz Satti.

The PTI alleged that Islamabad police detained the group and shifted them to Nilore police station. The party claimed that the detentions were aimed at preventing its workers and supporters from attending the funeral.

Raja later confirmed his release in a statement, saying that he, Latasob, Ikhlaq and their companions had been freed after spending about four hours in detention. He alleged that the sole purpose of the detention was to stop them from attending the funeral.

Latasob Satti, a retired army major, also shared a photograph of himself with other PTI leaders after their release.

PTI Chairman Gohar Ali Khan condemned what he described as the unlawful detention of party leaders and workers. He claimed that around 700 PTI workers had been arrested in recent days and that arrest warrants had also been issued against members of the National and provincial assemblies.

The development comes as PTI continues preparations for a nationwide protest planned for September 27. The party has been holding activities to mobilise its supporters ahead of the protest, while Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi has been visiting parts of Punjab.

During his recent visit, Afridi alleged that he was detained by authorities in Lahore and later left on the roadside. He also claimed that an individual had been sent to target him. The Punjab government rejected the allegations, while Wazirabad police said the person identified by the chief minister was a police constable assigned to his security detail.

The Punjab government has imposed a ban on public gatherings across the province from September 13 to 17.

Authorities in several Punjab districts have also issued preventive detention orders against PTI workers under Section 3 of the Maintenance of Public Order. The measures include orders against dozens of activists in different districts.

Meanwhile, the administrations of Rawalpindi and Islamabad have stepped up preparations to deal with PTI’s planned march towards the capital. Security measures include arranging containers, requesting additional personnel, considering preventive detentions and acquiring anti-riot equipment.