On Thursday, Punjab’s anti-corruption watchdog announced the rearrest of PTI MNA Haji Imtiaz Ahmed, who had been reported missing. The arrest occurred at Multan airport as Ahmed was about to board a flight to Qatar.
Ahmed’s whereabouts had been unknown since July 31, when armed assailants attacked a convoy on the new Shadiwal Road near Gujranwala and liberated him from the custody of the Anti-Corruption Establishment (ACE). The ACE had detained Ahmed for allegedly receiving a Rs2 million commission from a development scheme.
The ACE had been transporting Ahmed from Mianwali to Gujranwala for the recovery of the commission money when the armed group, traveling in three vehicles, ambushed their vehicle and forcibly took him. The ACE officials had to flee the scene for safety.
Following the incident, PTI members raised concerns in parliament and filed a court petition for Ahmed’s safe return. In a recent National Assembly session, Opposition Leader Omar Ayub Khan highlighted that Ahmed had been declared “forcefully disappeared” and questioned the Speaker about who was responsible for his treatment. The Speaker, Ayaz Sadiq, responded that police reports indicated Ahmed was neither in their custody nor that of the ACE.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif assured the opposition that he would personally investigate the case. Ahmed, who had initially been elected as an independent supported by PTI in February’s general elections, had previously served as an MNA after being elected on PTI’s ticket in 2018.
