Mian Azhar, 82, EX Governor, Hammad Azhar's father arrested in Lahore over 'Election Rally

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Hammad Azhar claimed on Sunday that his father has been taken into custody by police for attempting to take out an election rally in Lahore ahead of the February 8 elections, Geo News reported.

Mian Azhar, the 82-year-old former Punjab governor, wanted to lead a rally as per his democratic and constitutional right, Azhar wrote on his X handle.

“Pakistan has today been reduced to a total fascist state with zero human rights or rule of law. One Nawaz Sharif & his daughter calling the shots and ruining the country,” he alleged.

Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) leader Farid Paracha condemned the arrest of the former Punjab governor saying "Mian Azhar is a senior politician and a  respectable personality".

The development comes as canvassing for polls has gained momentum in the country with just less than two weeks left in the general elections. 

The PTI and the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) have claimed that they are being denied a level playing field to partake in the elections.