ISLAMABAD: Ghulam Sarwar Khan, the ex-aviation minister, was taken into custody in Islamabad in the small hours of Wednesday, according to reports from police sources.
Quoting police, ARY News reported that Khan, his son Mansoor Hayat Khan, and nephew Ammar Siddiqui were taken into custody from a house in the F-8 sector of Islamabad.
Authorities took him into custody apparently for his alleged role in the violent demonstrations that ensued after the brief detention of former prime minister Imran Khan for suspected graft on May 9.
The police said the trio were wanted for their involvement in the protests and an alleged attack on a judicial complex in Islamabad. Additionally, the police added that cases against the accused have been registered in the capital, as well as in their hometown of Taxila and Rawalpindi.
The country is beset by political turmoil as Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) has faced a countrywide crackdown since the protests that saw mobs ransacking state installations, including military assets.
Khan was freed on bail on May 12 for an initial two weeks, obtained a three-day bail extension from a high court and later a further extension from the trial court until June 19.
Dozens of top and mid-tier leaders in the PTI have been arrested alongside hundreds of Khan supporters since the violent protests of May 9. Many have quit the party after being released while other leaders remain on the run to avoid arrest.
Khan, who denies wrongdoing, says the arrests are part of a campaign to dismantle his party and that the state is using pressure tactics to force out his aides. The government denies this and says his aides were leaving of their own volition.
— With input from Reuters
