Salman Akram Raja Released After Four-Hour Detention, Says He Was Stopped From Attending Funeral

• The PTI secretary general said he and several associates were released after four hours in custody.
• Raja alleged that his detention was intended to prevent him from attending a funeral.
• PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Khan said the party’s planned “Insaaf March” would proceed as scheduled and remain peaceful.

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Secretary General Salman Akram Raja has been released after spending four hours in detention alongside several associates, according to his statement following his release.

Raja said Latasab Satti, Akhlaq Satti and other companions had also been held in custody. He alleged that the sole purpose of the detention was to prevent him from attending the funeral of the late Ejaz Satti.

The PTI leader thanked friends and supporters for their messages and good wishes during his time in custody.

Earlier, the opposition alliance Tehreek Tahaffuz-e-Aain Pakistan confirmed that Raja had been arrested within the jurisdiction of Nilore Police Station. Alliance spokesperson Akhunzada Hussain Yousafzai said Raja had travelled to Kotli Sattian for a funeral and was taken into custody on his return journey.

Yousafzai identified the deceased as Ishtiaq Satti, while Raja’s statement referred to Ejaz Satti.

The detention came amid preparations for PTI’s planned long march, which party Chairman Barrister Gohar Khan said would go ahead on its scheduled date.

Speaking to reporters in Peshawar, Gohar described the protest as an “Insaaf March” and said the party was pursuing its rights. He added that supporters in Punjab, Sindh and Balochistan had already received instructions for the march.

Gohar said supporters in Punjab had come out despite restrictions on movement. He also criticised the treatment of a chief minister and provincial assembly members, describing an incident in which the chief minister was placed in a vehicle and later left at another location as inappropriate.

He said a chief minister travelling to another province should be received with hospitality.

The PTI chairman maintained that the planned protest would remain peaceful, with workers staying unarmed, avoiding provocation and refraining from blocking roads. Participants, he said, would raise their voices for their rights.

Gohar also said Punjab Assembly members had stayed alongside the chief minister despite the difficult circumstances.