PTI leader Ali Amin Gandapur was arrested by the police from Dera Ismail Khan on Thursday, the party and the lawyers claimed. He was taken into custody from outside the DI Khan bench of the Peshawar High Court.

“I don’t know myself. They say there are FIRs (first information report) and it is necessary to arrest you,” he told reporters.

A heavy contingent of police was present outside the court since Thursday morning to arrest Gandapur, as claimed by him.

When a man asked who was behind this, he said: “You may well know who is behind this. I am told that there are higher-ups.” The PTI’s Twitter post claimed that their leader was arrested on the order of PDM head Fazlur Rehman, who was apparently afraid of losing the election.

The PTI leader was taken into custody after almost five hours of talks between the DPO Abdur Rauf Babar Qaisarani, DSP Iqbal Baloch and a panel of lawyers, one of his lawyers said.

It was decided that Gandpur would be arrested in front of media and lawyers and on a condition that the DPO would present him before the judicial magistrate on Friday (tomorrow).

Gandapur before answering the media queries shared the whole episode of his arrest.

The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa police have so far not issued any statement.

He claimed that over 50 “illegal” FIRs were registered against him. “In all of those FIRs, I have got bail or my FIRs were quashed or my FIRs were under trial or my bail was confirmed,” the PTI leader said and alleged that the police have been conducting raids against him for the past 25 days.

According to Gandapur, he was not even informed about any case registered against him.

Gandapur’s lawyers have approached the courts in Islamabad and DI Khan, seeking details of the FIR. He claimed that it was being delayed.

“Yesterday I was told that a case was registered against me and for this morning I had got bail it. When I was coming to the high court from the district and sessions court for my further cases, the police had locked the court gate and they were not allowing me to leave. But a judge helped me through transit and sent me here [DI Khan bench],” he said and claimed that the police party delayed his time to seek bail from the court.

Gandapur, a former federal minister, alleged that the police had earlier registered a baseless case against him pertaining to firing at them. He went to the police for arrest after consultation with his lawyers.

The PTI condemned the arrest and slammed the government for it.

“It was decided preemptively to arrest Ali Amin Gandapur despite bails. But they will still be decimated in the elections InshaAllah,” PTI chief Imran Khan said in a tweet with a video of a lawyer speaking about the apparent arrest.

Khan described it as a “law of the jungle” in the country. “PDM & handlers have a one point agenda - that is to go after PTI workers & leadership.”

Former deputy speaker of National Assembly Qasim Suri termed it as a “despicable act”.

“The people of Pakistan are with you, Ali & Faisal. We are all with you. These lines below dedicated to one courageous political worker,” PTI’s Taimur Khan Jhagra said.