PTI MNA allegedly 'freed' from ACE's custody by armed men

• PTI MNA accused of receiving kickbacks in development projects.
• Imtiaz Choudhary was in ACE's custody in physical remand.
• Around 8-10 armed men fire upon vehicle, fled with PTI lawmaker.

GUJRANWALA: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf's (PTI) Member of National Assembly (MNA) Imtiaz Choudhary was allegedly "freed" by armed men from the Anti Corruption Establishment's (ACE) custody.

The incident occurred when the ACE team had taken Choudhary to Mandi Bahauddin for interrogation when around eight to 10 armed individuals travelling in three vehicles, stopped the authority's team and fired upon their vehicle.

The alleged interception took place at Gujrat's New Shadiwal Road on Tuesday night at around 1:20am with the gunmen fleeing with the PTI MNA.

Choudhary, who was taken into custody by ACE on July 25 from his house, has been accused by the anti-graft body of receiving kickbacks from development works during the Imran Khan-led PTI government.

The lawmaker, who has been presented before the relevant court in the said case on two occasions, was in the ACE's custody on physical remand and was due to be presented before a civil court today.

A case has been lodged at the Saddar police station in Gujrat on the complaint of ACE Circle Officer Aftab Haider with the first information report (FIR) including Sections 149, 148, 225, 224, 427, 324, 186 and 353 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC).

It is to be noted that apart from Choudhary, another PTI MNA Moazzam Khan Jatoi, as reported by The News, was earlier taken into custody by ACE and was later handed over to Muzaffargarh police.

Before that, PTI's Ameer Sultan was allegedly abducted by unknown men in Lahore with the police and law enforcers denying his arrest.

It is to be noted that the former ruling party's Asad Qaiser has complained of its MNAs being pressurised to change loyalties.

PTI Chairman Gohar Khan had also accused the government of coercing the PTI MPs to change their allegiance after the Supreme Court verdict about the reserved seats for women and minorities was announced.

The Supreme Court on July 12 ruled that the PTI was eligible for the allocation of reserved seats, paving the way for the party’s return to the parliament, which was kicked out of the February 8 polls owing to the electoral body's December 2023 ruling.

The judgement has also increased the pressure on the coalition alliance as it will change the composition of the National Assembly.

Since then the ECP has notified as many as 93 lawmakers from three provincial legislatures as PTI members.

The electoral body issued notification of 29 members of the PTI from Punjab, 58 from Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and six from Sindh, the publication reported on Tuesday.