ISLAMABAD: Several members of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) of jailed former Prime Minister Imran Khan on Tuesday confirmed raids by provincial police in Punjab on the home of senior party leader Salman Akram Raja.
Raja has been serving as the secretary general of the PTI since September 2024 and as the party’s head of legal affairs since August 2024. It was unclear why police had raided his home but many PTI top leaders have been arrested since the party held a rally on Sept. 8 to demand their leader’s release from prison. Authorities say a law related to public gatherings in the federal capital was violated during the rally.
“Shame on Punjab Police for raiding residence of Salman Akram Raja sb in Lahore. Alhamdulillah, he is safe,” lawyer Abuzar Salman Niazi, who is a member of the PTI Core Committee, said on X.
“Such unwarranted police raids show the desperation and shamelessness of this unlawful [government],” Lawyer and PTI leader from Multan, Taimur Malik, said on X. “This raid at Salman Akram Raja’s residence will only increase the resentment against this Govt in the public & legal community.”
There was no confirmation of the raids by Punjab police.
Earlier this week, PTI lawmakers arrested on Sept. 9 following the rally in Islamabad were ordered released by a local court. The legislators had been charged with violating the Peaceful Assembly and Public Order Act by holding a rally in Islamabad on Sept. 8 that went on longer than the designated time and in which one policeman was injured as PTI supporters clashed with authorities en route to the rally.
The PTI said a number of the lawmakers were detained from inside the parliament building, triggering protests and condemnation from the party. They were granted bail on Monday submission of surety bonds worth Rs30,000 [$100].
Following the arrests, the National Assembly speaker had opened an inquiry into the incident on Tuesday, citing that under Pakistani law, legislators cannot be detained from within the precincts of the parliament without the speaker’s permission.
Khan’s party alleges it has faced an over a year-long crackdown since protesters allegedly linked to the party attacked and damaged government and military installations on May 9, 2023, after Khan’s brief arrest that day in a land graft case.
Hundreds of PTI followers and leaders were arrested following the riots and many remain behind bars as they await trial. The military, which says Khan and his party were behind the attacks, has also initiated army court trials of at least 103 people accused of involvement in the violence.
Khan, who has been in jail since last August, was ousted from the PM’s office in 2022 in a parliamentary vote of no confidence after what is widely believed to be a falling out with Pakistan’s powerful military, which denies being involved in politics.
Since his removal, Khan and his party have waged an unprecedented campaign of defiance against the military and now the PTI is aiming to mobilize the public through rallies to call for their leader’s release from jail in “politically motivated” cases.
The party’s next rally is planned for Sept. 22 in the eastern city of Lahore.
