Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) stalwart Hammad Azhar resurfaced on Wednesday after months in hiding, announcing his intention to assume the party's leadership in Punjab.
Azhar made a public appearance at the PTI Central Secretariat in Islamabad, asserting that he had received directives from the PTI Founder Imran Khan to come forward and take on a leadership role.
Azhar expressed confidence in the judicial system, stating that he plans to fight his legal battles in Punjab's courts after securing bail from the Peshawar High Court.
In a direct appeal to the Chief Justice of Pakistan, Azhar called for action against what he termed a "fascist system" before the Chief Justice's retirement.
He suggested that such a move would solidify the Chief Justice's legacy.
Addressing the recent attack on PTI's Raoof Hasan, Azhar condemned the incident and disclosed that party leadership had urged him to end his period of concealment and take an active role in the political arena.
Police reach secretariat to arrest Hammad Azhar
According to sources, police officials reached the secretariat to apprehend Hamad Azhar, but he had already left for Peshawar before their arrival.
The police questioned the secretariat staff about Hamad Azhar's whereabouts, but they claimed to have no information.
The sudden police action was triggered by Hamad Azhar's unexpected appearance at the secretariat, which was broadcast on TV.