The Hammad Azhar arrest has become the latest flashpoint in Pakistan’s ongoing political confrontation, after the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party confirmed on Sunday that its senior leader and former federal minister had been taken into custody in the eastern city of Multan. Local media widely reported that the Hammad Azhar arrest was linked to his alleged involvement in the May 2023 protests, when supporters of former prime minister Imran Khan attacked military installations and government buildings across the country.
Details of the Hammad Azhar Arrest in Multan
According to Pakistani newspaper The Express Tribune, the Hammad Azhar arrest took place at the home of a friend in Multan, with police sources confirming that Azhar had been wanted in connection with the May 9 case involving an attack on the Government Officers’ Residence Gate. Azhar, who served as federal minister for revenue and later as finance minister during Khan’s tenure as prime minister from 2018 to 2022, had kept his whereabouts largely hidden since the 2023 riots out of fear of being apprehended.
An Anti-Terrorism Court in Lahore had declared Azhar a proclaimed offender in May 2025, formalising his status as a wanted man well before the Hammad Azhar arrest was finally carried out this weekend. Multan police chief Sadiq Ali Dogar did not respond to queries from Arab News seeking confirmation of the arrest, leaving several details of the operation unconfirmed by official sources at the time of reporting.
PTI Condemns Hammad Azhar Arrest as Political Victimization
In a statement issued shortly after news of the Hammad Azhar arrest emerged, the PTI said it strongly condemned the detention of its former federal minister and former member of the National Assembly, describing the action as a continuation of political victimization, state repression and fascist tactics. The party said Azhar had been subjected to politically motivated acts of vengeance, accusing the government of harassing its political opponents and attempting to silence the PTI’s voice through arrests of this kind.
The PTI further demanded that Azhar be presented before a court in accordance with the law, arguing that arbitrarily arresting political workers and leaders and creating an atmosphere of fear and intimidation runs contrary to the spirit of democracy and the constitution. The party’s sharp response to the Hammad Azhar arrest reflects a pattern seen repeatedly since 2023, whenever senior PTI figures have been detained in connection with the May riots.
Background to the May 2023 Case Behind the Arrest
Azhar was also a senior leader within the PTI, having previously served as president of the party’s Punjab chapter before resigning from that post in August 2024. He cited restrictions on his movements and a lack of access to Khan, who has remained in prison since 2023, as reasons for stepping down from the role. The Hammad Azhar arrest therefore closes a chapter in which one of the party’s most prominent figures had evaded custody for more than two years.
Pakistan’s government has accused Khan and his party of inciting violent protests against the state during the May 2023 unrest, a charge the PTI has consistently denied, maintaining that it never encouraged supporters to resort to violence. Khan, 73, was ousted as prime minister in 2022 after losing a parliamentary vote and has since faced numerous legal cases, with his party insisting the charges brought against him are politically motivated.
Wider Fallout From the May 2023 Riots
The May 2023 protests were among the most serious challenges to Pakistan’s powerful military in decades, prompting a sweeping crackdown in which hundreds of protesters were arrested. Authorities have continued pursuing individuals linked to the unrest in the years since, and the Hammad Azhar arrest is likely to be viewed by both government officials and PTI supporters as a significant development in that continuing crackdown. With Azhar now in custody, attention is expected to turn to whether he is produced before a court promptly, as the PTI has demanded, and how the case against him proceeds through Pakistan’s legal system in the weeks ahead.
Published in SouthAsianDesk, September 7th, 2026
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