ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Secretary General Salman Akram Raja was released after being detained for four hours, according to the statement following his release.
Raja said he was held in custody along with Latasab Satti, Akhlaq Satti and several other associates before being released.
According to Raja, the purpose of his detention was solely to prevent him from attending the funeral of the late Ejaz Satti.
Raja thanked his friends and supporters who expressed their good wishes during his detention.
Earlier, Salman Akram Raja was arrested from the jurisdiction of Nilore Police Station, according to a spokesperson for the opposition alliance Tehreek Tahaffuz-e-Aain Pakistan (TTAP).
Akhunzada Hussain Yousafzai, spokesperson for the opposition alliance, had confirmed Raja’s arrest. He said the PTI leader had travelled to Kotli Sattian to attend the funeral of Ishtiaq Satti and was taken into custody while returning.
The development comes as PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Khan reiterated that the party’s long march would proceed on its scheduled date.
Speaking to the media in Peshawar, Gohar said the party was not organising the march as a recreational activity, describing it instead as an “Insaaf March”. He said people in Punjab, Sindh and Balochistan had already received instructions regarding the planned march.
Gohar said people in Punjab had come out despite restrictions on street movements. He also criticised the treatment of Punjab Chief Minister and members of the provincial assembly, saying that leaving the chief minister at a location after placing him in a vehicle was inappropriate.
He said a chief minister visiting another province should be treated with hospitality.
Gohar further said PTI would hold a peaceful protest, would not block roads and would not create provocation. He said party workers would remain unarmed and raise their voices for their rights.
He added that Punjab assembly members had remained with the chief minister despite difficult circumstances.
