Senior politician Makhdoom Javed Hashmi claimed that police barged into his home late Wednesday and detained his son-in-law and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) candidate, Makhdoom Shahid Bahar Hashmi, grandson Qasim Hashmi, and house servants.
Javed Hashmi said that around 1:00 am, 20 Punjab police personnel surrounded his 'Makhdoom Rasheed' residence and "illegally entered without a warrant," disturbing the house's sanctity. According to the senior politician, the PTI workers' convention was supposed to take place at the same location where the raid was conducted.
"My son-in-law, Shahid Bahar Hashmi, and grandson, Qasim Hashmi, have been taken into illegal custody," he said on his X account. All staff have been arrested, he said.
Javed further stated that PTI candidates and the children of detained PTI leader Shah Mahmood Qureshi, Meher Bano Qureshi, and Zain Qureshi also had to attend the convention.
Despite the raid, Makhdoom Zahid Bahar Hashmi, a close relative of the senior politician, stated that the workers' convention will be held at Hashmi's home, with Meher Bano, the candidate for the NA-151 constituency, also attending.
Javed declared on January 22 that he would step down from the election race in favor of PTI-backed Aamir Dogar, who will run in the NA-149 constituency on February 8.
Hashmi had stated that he supported the detained PTI founder during a difficult period for him and his party. "When Imran Khan was the 'blue-eyed boy', I stood by Nawaz Sharif," he added.