Update · 27 Oct 2026, 6:25 PM PKT: The anti-terrorism court rejected a police request for further physical remand of Hammad Azhar for a polygraph test in the May 9 case. Police sought the test as part of their investigation into an alleged attack on Jinnah House, the residence of the Lahore corps commander.
Azhar's lawyer, Barrister Abuzar Salman Niazi, argued that the polygraph test required the suspect's consent and cited a Lahore High Court ruling. Azhar told the court he did not wish to undergo the test if the law allowed him to refuse. Police allege that Azhar led the attack on Jinnah House, but Azhar denied the allegations, saying he was in Bhakkar on the day of the incident.
An anti-terrorism court in Lahore has ordered Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf leader Hammad Azhar held in jail on a 14-day judicial remand in a case linked to the May 9 riots. The order came on Tuesday, when he was produced before the court after completing his latest physical remand. With that period included, his total time in custody now stands at 50 days.
The court had last extended his physical remand by 12 days on October 15 in the same case. Azhar was reportedly handed over to Lahore police after his arrest in Multan. Police sources said he has been declared a proclaimed offender and is involved in several cases registered over the May 9, 2023 unrest.
Azhar’s role in PTI and his resignation
Azhar served as a federal minister during the PTI’s tenure at the Centre. In August 2024, he stepped down as the party’s Punjab chapter president, citing what he called a ‘lack of access’ to jailed PTI founder Imran Khan and restrictions on his movements. He had remained in hiding after being named in several cases tied to the May 9 riots.
Imran Khan’s arrest sparked the May 9 unrest
Thousands of supporters of the jailed party founder stormed public property and military installations on May 9, 2023, protesting the former prime minister’s arrest. The sites included the Corps Commander House in Lahore. The unrest erupted after Khan was taken into custody from the premises of the Islamabad High Court in a graft case.
