SIC’s Hamid Raza has been arrested by Islamabad police, according to his brother Hassan Raza.

Sunni Ittehad Council – (Special Correspondent / Web Desk) – Sahibzada Mohammad Hamid Raza, chief of the Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC), was arrested by Islamabad police on Friday, according to reports.
His brother, SIC acting Chairman Sahibzada Hassan Raza, told the media that Hamid had decided to appear before a Faisalabad anti-terrorism court (ATC) for court arrest and was on his way to the city when Islamabad police apprehended him near a picket on the Islamabad bypass road.
Separately, a post on Hamid’s X account quoted Hassan as saying that Hamid was arrested by Islamabad police while en route to Faisalabad.
“He was going from Peshawar to Faisalabad to surrender. “Police in Islamabad arrested him,” the early morning post reported, citing Hassan.

PTI leader Omar Ayub also posted about the development, saying that Raza was “abducted” from Islamabad late last night.

Pakistan and UK army chiefs discuss stronger security partnership.

“Sahibzada Hamid Raza sahib, my dear friend and colleague, has been abducted from Islamabad late last night whilst en route to surrender in the conviction awarded by an anti-terrorism court [in] Faisalabad,” Ayub posted on social media platform X.

He said he “strongly condemn[s] this action”.

“Sahibzada Hamid Raza sahib is a brave and very loyal ally of PM Imran Khan (sic). He must be produced immediately in the relevant court,” the PTI leader added.

The development comes two days after the Peshawar High Court rejected Raza’s plea seeking transit bail in a case in which he was convicted by an ATC in Faisalabad and subsequently disqualified as a member of the National Assembly by the Election Commission of Pakistan.

Afghanistan and Pakistan have returned to Istanbul for additional peace talks.

The conviction was announced on July 31 and Raza, along with other PTI leaders, was sentenced to 10 years of imprisonment for involvement in the May 9 riots, when violent demonstrations had broken out in the country following the arrest of ex-premier Imran Khan.

Following the riots, thousands of demonstrators, including party officials, were detained. The ECP later stripped the PTI of its bat emblem, forcing party members to run as independent candidates in the 2024 elections. Following that, the PTI partnered with the SIC in an attempt to secure reserved seats, which are granted on a party basis.