PTI leader Salman Akram Raja and other "miscreants" have been released after being briefly arrested, claimed caretaker Punjab Information Minister Amir Mir on Saturday.
In a post on social media platform X, the caretaker minister claimed that some miscreants, including PTI leader Salman Akram Raja, tried to take the law into their hands. They have been released after being detained briefly, he added.
آج لاہور میں احتجاج کے دوران سلمان اکرم راجہ سمیت چند شر پسند عناصر نے سڑکیں بلاک کرنے اور قانون ہاتھ میں لینے کی کوشش کی جنہیں حراست میں لینے کے بعد رہا کر دیا گیا ہے۔
— Minister Information Punjab (@MinisterInfoPb) February 17, 2024
"A few miscreants, including Salman Akram Raja, tried to block the roads. They have been released after being detained for trying to take the law into his hands," Mir claimed.
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However, lawyer Sameer Khosa claimed on X that Raja's family has not heard from him yet or seen him, adding that they are filing a habeas corpus petition in the high court. "There is no release. We are in the High Court with a habeas petition for his production. We appeal to the Chief Justice to fix this petition immediately," he posted.
Salman Raja (@salmanAraja)’s family has not heard from him yet or seen him. There is no release. We are in the High Court with a habeas petition for his production. We appeal to the Chief Justice to fix this petition immediately. pic.twitter.com/9MuyMET7o7
— Sameer Khosa (@SameerKhosa) February 17, 2024
Earlier in the day, PTI leader Barrister Salman Akram Raja and over 15 other protesters were arrested in Lahore during a protest against alleged rigging in elections.
They were arrested while demonstrating outside the Jail Road office of the PTI in Lahore, amid slogans from party workers and supporters.