A son of a former ticket holder of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) was arrested and later released by the police Thursday when he went to the returning officer's office to submit his nomination papers for the upcoming by-elections in Sialkot, reported 24NewsHD TV channel.
Haider Ali Gul, who is contesting for Constituency NA 72 and PP 49, claimed that he was targeted because of his affiliation with the PTI and that he was not given any reason or FIR for his arrest.
According to reports, a heavy police force reached the RO office and took Gul into custody. The lawyers who accompanied him resisted the arrest and clashed with the police. They blocked the way of the police van, broke its windows and raised slogans against the police and the district administration. They managed to free Gul from police custody and took him to the district bar association.
Gul told the media that he had reached the RO office to submit his nomination papers as per the schedule given by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP). He said that he was arrested without any justification and that it was a planned attempt to stop him from contesting the elections.
He said that he had no criminal record and that he should be provided with an FIR if there was any case against him. He also asked the ECP to take notice of the incident as it raises questions about the transparency of the elections.