Pakistani authorities on Sunday arrested Sheikh Rashid, a key ally of former premier Imran Khan and leader of Awami Muslim League, for his alleged involvement in corruption, said his nephew.
Rashid, 72, and two of his aides were arrested from his residence in Bahria Town of Rawalpindi and shifted to an undisclosed location, his nephew Sheikh Rashid Shafiq said in a video message.
“I request the top judiciary to take notice of the arrest of a senior politician as he was not wanted in any case,” Sheikh Shafiq said, adding that his elder brother and a servant was also arrested by police.
The details of the charges against Rashid have not been released so far.
Rashid, who is the head of AML party, remained a staunch ally of former prime minister Khan and was appointed as interior minister during his government.
In a tweet on social media platform X (formerly Twitter), Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf condemned Rashid's arrest.
“The political victimisation and fascism continues, this time with the arrest of Sheikh Rashid,” it said.
Rashid's arrest seems to be part of the crackdown unleashed after the May 9 violence by the PTI workers who torched several state buildings, including the official residence of Corps Commander Lahore.
Earlier this year in June, the AML leader had alleged that the Islamabad police broke into his house and beat up his servants.
He had also claimed that in a second incident, a “force clad in plain clothes” tortured his employees at his Lal Haveli residence in Rawalpindi.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
Featured Video Of The Day
Rs. 700 Crore, 18,000 Women Workers: Foxconn's Tamil Nadu Housing Unit
Probe Reveals Former Pak PM Imran Khan's Ties With Arrested Ex ISI Chief Arrest Of Ex ISI Chief Faiz Hameed "Internal Issue" Of Pak Army: Imran Khan Would Be "Foolish" Not To Have Good Relations With Army, Says Ex Pak PM Imran Khan "Trusted Mamata Banerjee But...": Father Of Murdered Doctor To NDTV What Murdered Doctor's Father Said About A Torn Page From Her Diary Flower Seller Forced To Buy iPhone For Son On Hunger Strike, Internet Reacts Student Arrested For Post Calling For Mamata Banerjee's Assassination Online Gambling Addict Kills Woman, Steals Gold And Then Burns House Viral Now: This Vlogger Has Different 'Ice Cubes' For Everything From Soups To Tea Track Latest News Live on NDTV.com and get news updates from India and around the world.