PTI Leader Hammad Azhar Arrested in Multan After Long Absence in May 9 Cases

Lahore, September 6: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader and former federal minister Hammad Azhar has been arrested in Multan. According to police sources, he was handed over to Lahore Police following his arrest, where legal proceedings will be initiated against him in connection with cases related to the May 9, 2023 incidents.

Hammad Azhar had been wanted by police in several cases registered following the May 9 incidents and had remained in hiding for a prolonged period. In May 2024, the Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) had also raided the PTI secretariat in Islamabad in an attempt to arrest him, but he managed to leave the premises.

Several cases related to the May 9 incidents have been registered against Hammad Azhar in Lahore and other locations. Due to his repeated failure to appear before courts, proceedings were also initiated in some cases to declare him a proclaimed offender and absconder.

Hammad Azhar belongs to a prominent political family. His father, Mian Muhammad Azhar, was a senior politician, former mayor of Lahore and former governor of Punjab. Mian Azhar served as mayor of Lahore from 1987 to 1991 and as governor of Punjab from 1990 to 1993.

Mian Muhammad Azhar was also the founding president of the Pakistan Muslim League-Q. He later joined Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf in October 2011. In the 2024 general elections, he was elected to the National Assembly from Lahore and subsequently joined the Sunni Ittehad Council.

Mian Muhammad Azhar died in Lahore on July 22, 2025, at the age of 83 after a prolonged illness. He was regarded as an influential political figure in Punjab.

Hammad Azhar was elected to the National Assembly from Lahore in the 2018 general elections. During the PTI government, he served as Federal Minister for Economic Affairs, Federal Minister for Industries and Production, and later as Federal Minister for Finance and Energy.