LAHORE: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader and former federal minister Hammad Azhar has been arrested in Multan in connection with cases registered over the May 9, 2023 riots, police sources said on Sunday.
According to the sources, Azhar was taken into custody in Multan and subsequently handed over to Lahore police, who will proceed with the cases registered against him.
The PTI leader faces multiple cases stemming from the violent unrest that erupted across the country on May 9, 2023. Sources said he had remained a proclaimed offender since the events.
Azhar previously served as federal finance minister during the PTI government and later stepped down as president of the party’s Punjab chapter in August 2024.
At the time, he cited difficulties in accessing jailed PTI founder Imran Khan and restrictions on his movement as among the reasons for resigning from the provincial party position.
Following the registration of several cases related to the May 9 violence, Azhar went into hiding and remained away from public view.
The unrest broke out after Imran Khan was arrested from the premises of the Islamabad High Court in connection with a corruption case.
PTI supporters subsequently attacked and damaged public and military installations in different parts of the country.
Among the sites targeted were the Corps Commander House in Lahore and the General Headquarters (GHQ) in Rawalpindi.
The May 9 violence marked one of the most serious episodes of unrest involving supporters of the former prime minister, who remains a central figure in Pakistan’s political landscape.
The post PTI leader Hammad Azhar arrested in Multan over May 9 cases appeared first on Karachi News.