The interior minister made the comments while speaking to journalists at a press conference. The Senator, Sanaullah said, had been taken into protective custody as he had not been appearing in the foreign funding case.
Senior PTI leaders claimed earlier that the Senator had been picked up from Senate premises.
Former rights minister Shireen Mazari said in a tweet the Senate chairman should be red-faced over what Nyazee having been picked up in the federal capital. "Senate Chairman should be ashamed that Senator Saifullah Nyazee has been picked up by unknown people from Islamabad without his knowledge or approval. And he is silent on the matter? Or worse he may be complicit?"
Former Planning Minister Asad Umar termed the development "the worst kind of fascism on display" on the micro-blogging site. He made the comments while quoting a tweet by Iftikhar Durrani claiming the senator had been picked up from the Senate.
Former National Assembly deputy speaker Qasim Khan Suri said the "fascist government" had been left "shaken" in his tweet. Suri said the government had done this despite clear Islamabad High Court (IHC) directives on nabbing parliamentarians.
Former Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry said the government was "struggling to breath". He said the announcement of PTI chairman Imran Khan's long march had left them intimidated. He urged party activists to brace for delivering a "final push" in his tweet.
The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) separately rejected claims that the agency had nabbed the senator. The agency said there was no truth in the claims being circulated. The FIA was yet to nab Nyazee, the agency said.
This is a breaking story and will be updated.