Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Hammad Azhar, declared an absconder in the May 9 Jinnah House attack case, narrowly escaped an arrest attempt in Lahore. Acting on a tip-off about Azhar’s presence in Jafaria Colony, a police raid was conducted.

However, associates of the PTI leader raised an alarm upon seeing the police team, reportedly allowing Azhar to evade arrest. The police later detained two individuals suspected of aiding Azhar’s escape, and a case has been registered against them for assisting a wanted individual.

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An anti-terrorism court (ATC) in Lahore had earlier declared Hammad Azhar and other PTI leaders proclaimed offenders in the case related to the May 9 riots.

The government subsequently blocked the CNICs of 18 PTI leaders, including Azhar and Murad Saeed, on December 18. Authorities emphasized that the CNICs would remain blocked until the investigation concludes, and the leaders would lose legal rights if they did not appear before the ATC.