Several senior Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leaders were taken into custody on Tuesday outside the Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi for violating Section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure. They were released shortly after receiving a warning from the police.

Section 144 allows district administrations to prohibit gatherings of four or more individuals in a designated area for a specified duration, typically implemented to prevent disturbances and maintain public order.

Punjab Police spokesperson Sajjadul Hassan confirmed that PTI workers were detained for breaching this regulation but were subsequently released after a warning. Law enforcement would be upheld in all circumstances, he added.

Earlier, the PTI condemned the arrest of several of its leaders outside the jail, where they had gathered to meet their imprisoned leader, Imran Khan. The party labelled the incident as “absolutely shameful.”

In a statement posted on X, the PTI expressed outrage, stating, “Omar Ayub Khan, Shibli Faraz, Asad Qaiser, Ahmed Bhachar, and Sahibzada Hamid Raza have been arrested for simply exercising their legal right to meet with Imran Khan.”

They added that such actions should “alarm anyone” who values the rule of law, alleging the erosion of basic freedoms.

Among those detained were Punjab Assembly Opposition Leader Malik Ahmed Bhachar and Sunni Ittehad Council member Sahibzad Hamid Raza.

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After their release, PTI leaders held a press conference to denounce their recent detention. “The manner in which we were forcibly taken today is an affront to the Constitution of Pakistan,” Faraz said.

He added that their intention was to meet their leader peacefully, noting that they had not organised a rally or acted aggressively.

“We were denied both the opportunity to leave and to meet Khan Sahab,” Faraz added.