A Lahore anti-terrorism court (ATC — a special court that hears terrorism-related cases) on Tuesday sent Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader and former federal minister Hammad Azhar to jail on a 14-day Hammad Azhar judicial remand in a case linked to the May 9 riots.
He was brought before the court after his latest spell of physical remand ended. That custody, taken together with earlier extensions, had reached 50 days. The ATC had last lengthened his physical remand by 12 days on 15 October.
Arrest, custody and the May 9 cases
Police sources said Azhar was handed to Lahore police after his arrest in Multan. They described him as a proclaimed offender — a person wanted by the courts who did not appear when required — and said he is named in several cases registered over the May 9, 2023 unrest.
The Hammad Azhar judicial remand covers one of those matters. The sources did not list every separate charge in the material available for this report, but they tied his detention to multiple May 9-related files.
Party role and earlier resignation
Azhar served as a federal minister while PTI was in government at the Centre. He headed the party’s Punjab chapter until August 2024, when he stepped down. At the time he pointed to a "lack of access" to jailed PTI founder and former prime minister Imran Khan, and to limits on his own movement, as reasons for quitting the provincial post.
He had stayed out of public view after being named in several May 9 cases, according to the same account of events.
Timeline: what has happened so far
- 9 May 2023: After Imran Khan was taken into custody from the Islamabad High Court premises in a graft case, thousands of his supporters attacked public property and military sites, including the Corps Commander House in Lahore.
- August 2024: Azhar resigns as PTI Punjab president, citing access and movement problems.
- 15 October: The Lahore ATC extends his physical remand by 12 days in the May 9-related case.
- Tuesday: After physical custody totals 50 days, the ATC orders 14 days of judicial remand and he is sent to jail.
What comes next
Judicial remand means he remains in jail under the court’s order for the stated period rather than in day-to-day police interrogation custody. Further hearings will decide whether custody continues, bail is sought, or the case moves forward. The Hammad Azhar judicial remand is one step in a wider set of May 9 prosecutions that still involve other accused persons beyond this single order.
Aasan alfaaz mein
Lahore ki ATC ne Hammad Azhar ko May 9 ke case mein 14 din ki judicial remand de di hai. Pehle police ke paas uski physical remand milakar 50 din ho chuki thi. Unhen Multan se giraftar karke Lahore police ke hawale kiya gaya tha. Ab woh jail mein court ke hukum ke mutabiq rahenge jab tak agla faisla na ho.
