ISLAMABAD: PTI General Secretary and Leader of Opposition in National Assembly Omar Ayub on Sunday evaded arrest in a raid at his residence in Sector F-10 by a joint team of Islamabad and Mianwali police after an anti-terrorist warrant was issued against him. of Court (ATC) in Sargodha.
In a leaflet, the Mianwali police claimed that their Assistant Sub-Inspector (ASI) had only gone to the residence to serve bail orders and not to arrest the opposition leader.
The PTI leader, who went into hiding after the raid, hit out at the authorities for being so “desperate” to arrest him. “ATC Sargodha has issued warrants for my arrest, which owes me bail, but a few minutes ago, Mianwali and Islamabad police teams came to arrest me at my house in Islamabad,” he said in a post on social media.
“Federal government, Punjab government and agencies must be very desperate to arrest the leader of the opposition in the National Assembly,” the PTI leader wrote on X, adding that their fight will continue until Imran Khan returns to power.
PTI spokesperson Raoof Hasan told Dawn that Ayub’s house was raided by police personnel from Mianwali and Islamabad.
“Some policemen were in uniform, some were in plainclothes… PTI general secretary fortunately was not at home,” he said, adding that Omar Ayub was in a safe place. Mr. Hasan also said that the police did not seek prior permission from the Speaker of the National Assembly to conduct the raid to arrest the lawmaker.
According to a PTI spokesperson, the raid was conducted in connection with a case of terrorism. ATC Sargodha has issued a warrant for his arrest. It may be noted that last month Mr. Ayub tendered his resignation as General Secretary but the party rejected it and continues to serve in the top party role.
Khurshid Anwar Khan in Mianwali contributed to this report
