The Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) on Saturday claimed that Umar Dar, the brother of former party leader Usman Dar, was allegedly abducted in Lahore, accusing PML-N’s Khawaja Asif of “engineering” the incident to weaken the Dar family’s position in the upcoming elections.

Talking to Dawn.com, Lahore police spokesman Agha Ehtesham refuted reports suggesting that the police detained Umar. He did not provide further details.

In a video shared by the PTI on X (formerly Twitter), Umar’s mother said that she had just discovered her son’s abduction from Lahore. She appealed to the chief justice of Pakistan to intervene and take notice of the situation.

“I am a mother and a widow. I am deeply distressed by the current situation. I appeal to the CJP to ensure the appearance of my son in court,” she said in the video.

She added: “I am facing all these challenges solely to prevent me from participating in elections. I have been denied the opportunity to submit my papers, and there are police personnel stationed outside my residence. I assert the truth that these actions are aimed at hindering my candidacy in the polls.”

In its post on Instagram, the PTI said the “abduction of Umar Dar during scrutiny phase in the election is another episode of the mockery of law going on in Pakistan.”

Backing the PTI claims, another party leader Omar Ayub Khan also condemned the abduction, saying “Umar — the son of Rehana Dar, who submitted her nomination papers from Sialkot to contest against Asif — has been abducted by unknown people from Lahore”.

“The reign of terror against PTI continues unabated,” Ayub said in a post on X.

He said everyone should realise that “Imran Khan and PTI will win because we are on the right path.”

Petition filed for recovery of Umar Dar

Meanwhile, a petition has been filed in the Lahore High Court, urging the recovery of Umar Dar. Key figures such as the Punjab police chief and Lahore CCPO have been named as respondents in the plea.

The petition, filed by Usman’s legal counsel Abuzar Salman Niazi, contended that the Dar family was persistently subjected to political vendetta. It pointed out that Dar’s mother was contesting elections against Asif in Silakot, adding that the family was being targeted for political motives.

The plea urged the court to issue an order for the recovery and appearance of the missing individual before the court.

The Dar family’s complaints of police raids and mistreatment are not new. Earlier this month, Dar’s mother had accused Asif and the police of raiding their Sialkot home and manhandling her. Asif and the Sialkot police had denied the allegations.

In August, Usman Dar had said his house, factory and businesses in Sialkot were sealed and his family members, including women, were left stranded after ‘state highhandedness’

“The state has snatched away our right to live in our own country, declared proclaimed offender in fake cases and being treated as terrorists,” Dar had stated in a post.

In October, Usman appeared in a TV interview and condemned the May 9 incident and announced quitting the PTI and politics.