Former aviation minister Ghulam Sarwar Khan was arrested in the early hours of Wednesday in Islamabad in connection to the May 9 riots case, according to police official.

Rawalpindi police spokesperson Inspector Sajjadul Hassan confirmed to Dawn.com that the ex-minister was arrested in a joint raid carried out by Pindi and capital police in the capital.

The police also took into custody former National Assembly member Mansoor Hayat Khan and ex-Punjab MPA Ammar Siddique Khan during the raid, he added.

The official said the PTI-era aviation minister, along with others arrested, had been transferred to a police station in Taxila.

According to the official, the authorities had been searching for the former aviation minister for more than a month in relation to the May 9 violence case, in which he has also been named as a suspect among others.

It is pertinent to mention here that, unlike some other leaders, former minister Sarwar has not announced his departure from the PTI or resigned from any party position at this time.

On Tuesday, a Lahore anti-terrorism court issued non-bailable arrest warrants for PTI chief Imran Khan and several other former and current party leaders in cases pertaining to vandalism during the May 9 riots.

At least eight people were killed and 290 injured on May 9 after the PTI chief was arrested by the National Accountability Bureau in the Al-Qadir Trust case. The protesters had also stormed the residence of the corps commander in Lahore — also called Jinnah House — and tore down a gate of General Headquarters in Rawalpindi.

Subsequently, over 1,900 enraged protesters were rounded up in running battles with law enforcers across the country while cases were also registered against Imran, his party leaders and workers.