PTI leader Hammad Azhar handed over to Lahore police on 21-day remand in May 9 riots case

LAHORE: An anti-terrorism court (ATC) granted police a 21-day physical remand of PTI leader Hammad Azhar in a case pertaining to the attack on Jinnah House during the May 9 riots.

Earlier in the day, his mother had filed a habeas corpus petition in the Lahore High Court (LHC) seeking Azhar’s recovery, saying he had been arrested on Saturday. However, until Sunday night, Lahore and Multan police had said they were unaware of his arrest.

On Monday, Sarwar Road police finally presented Azhar before the court under tight security, with a heavy contingent of police deployed around the premises.

Sarwar Road police had booked several PTI leaders and workers on charges of attacking and vandalising the Jinnah House, which also serves as the residence of the corps commander, during the May 9, 2023 protests against the arrest of ex-premier Imran Khan.

ATC Judge Sardar Muhammad Akram presided over the proceedings, with Barrister Abuzar Salman Niazi appearing as the PTI leader’s counsel.

The investigating officer (IO) sought Azhar’s 60-day physical remand, saying he had been wanted in the case for a considerable period and had recently been arrested.

The IO argued that the physical remand was required to interrogate the suspect and investigate his alleged involvement in the case.

He also sought permission to conduct a photogrammetric test of the PTI leader and forensic examination of his social media accounts.

The IO claimed that the attack on Jinnah House had been carried out as part of a conspiracy.

On the other hand, Barrister Niazi argued that although the police claimed his client had been in hiding for three years, no evidence had been collected during that period.

The lawyer argued that the IO had failed to perform his duty for three years and that there was no material on record warranting physical remand.

He said the identification parade of Azhar had not been conducted and he was presented before the court with his face covered. The counsel also alleged that the suspect was not being treated appropriately.

Subsequently, the court directed the police to treat the suspect in an appropriate manner.

The judge observed that people should be treated in a manner that “would not cause embarrassment when they (police) had to face them later”.

The defence counsel further argued that Azhar had been implicated in the case on the basis of a co-suspect’s statement. He pointed out that PTI leader Dr Yasmin Rashid had also been implicated on the same suspect’s statement, but the case against her was discharged at the very first hearing.

The lawyer urged the court to discharge his client from the case on the same grounds.

After hearing both sides’ arguments, Judge Akram allowed the police to have Azhar’s custody for 21 days.

Mother moves LHC

The PTI had condemned Azhar’s arrest on Sunday. While Multan and Lahore police officials said they were unaware of his arrest, party sources claimed the PTI leader was taken into custody in a case pertaining to the May 9, 2023 riots.

Subsequently, on Monday, the PTI leader’s mother, Ishrat Azhar, filed a petition before the LHC through Barrister Niazi.

It named the Punjab inspector general of police (IGP), the Lahore capital city police officer (CCPO), the Lahore deputy inspector general (operations), and the RA Bazaar station house officer (South Cantt) as respondents.

The petition alleged that Azhar was arrested two days ago, but his family had no information about his whereabouts. It expressed concerns about his safety and maintained that no person could be kept in illegal detention.

The petition requested the LHC to direct the respondents to produce Azhar before the court or any competent court and disclose the complete and lawful basis of his arrest and detention.

The petition also sought immediate access for Azhar to his legal counsel and reasonable communication with his family members in accordance with law.

The petition asked the court to declare any detention of Azhar that was not in accordance with the Constitution and law as unlawful and without lawful authority.

Azhar, the son of late former Punjab governor Mian Muhammad Azhar, has been declared a proclaimed offender by multiple anti-terrorism courts for not joining the proceedings against him in cases related to the May 9 riots.

Reports of Azhar’s arrest circulated widely on social media over the weekend, with different accounts emerging about where and when he was taken into custody.

According to some reports circulating online on Sunday, the PTI leader was handed over to Lahore police. However, Lahore Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Investigations Muhammad Naveed said he had no confirmation about Azhar’s arrest or handover to Lahore police.

In a statement on Sunday, the PTI had termed the former finance minister’s arrest “the worst example of political vengeance and fascism”.

“Hammad Azhar is being continuously targeted with retaliatory actions on political grounds. The government is recklessly using state power to suppress political opponents and silence the voice of PTI,” it alleged.

Azhar had reappeared in public on May 22, 2024, a year after he had gone into hiding when the state launched a crackdown against the party leadership following the violent incidents of May 9. At the time, the PTI leader had evaded arrest when the Counter-Terrorism Department raided the party’s secretariat in Islamabad.

In April 2025, Azhar had stepped down as the president of the party’s Punjab chapter for the third time, after his two previous resignations were rejected.