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Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Senior Vice President Sher Afzal Marwat was taken into custody by police outside the Lahore High Court (LHC) on Thursday, according to footage shared by the party on its X, formerly Twitter, account.
The footage shows police pushing Marwat into a vehicle, as he and several other lawyers attempt to resist their efforts. “Abduction of lawyers from the premises of LHC is absolutely shameful and represents once again the respect for courts in the eyes of those in power,” it wrote in the post with the video, describing as “unacceptable” the detention. “Caretaker government is crossing all limits of fascism,” it said, urging judges of the LHC to ensure Marwat’s immediate safe recovery.
In a separate statement, the party claimed Marwat’s arrest indicated the “prevailing lawlessness in the country,” adding the aim of such “unconstitutional and illegal tactics” was to “escape” from elections. It claimed the “continued silence of the judiciary” over such arrests was encouraging such illegal actions. It also vowed that such tactics would not lower workers’ morale or their desire for “real independence.”
PTI Chairman Gohar Khan, addressing media outside the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) office in Islamabad, also condemned Marwat’s arrest, warning such actions hampered the pursuit of free and fair elections.
While police have yet to confirm why Marwat was taken into custody, local media reported he was detained under Section 3 of the Maintenance of Public Order ordinance, which allows the government to detain any individual deemed to be acting in any manner prejudicial to public safety.
A vocal PTI leader, Marwat was appointed the party’s senior vice-president last month, and has since organized and addressed several workers’ conventions in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, as several political leaders remain in hiding or behind bars after the May 9 riots. He is considered close to former PTI chairman Imran Khan, having represented the former prime minister in several cases against him over the past year.
Last week, he alleged police in Lower Dir had attempted to “abduct” him and sought relief from the Peshawar High Court, which ordered the provincial government not to arrest him until further orders. However, KP police denied they had attempted to take Marwat into custody.