Hours after the PTI announced late Thursday that men in plainclothes had “abducted” the son of Aleema Khanum, the sister of party founder and ex-premier Imran Khan, from her residence, Lahore police announced that Shahrez Khan had been arrested in connection with a May 9 case.

Shortly after the ‘abduction’ was reported, police officials had expressed ignorance of Shahrez’s whereabouts and said they could only look into the matter if an official complaint was lodged.

Earlier, PTI Lawyer Rana Mudassar Umar had told Dawn.com that Aleema’s son, Shahrez Khan, was “kidnapped” from his home in Lahore.

“People dressed in plain clothes entered the house and took Aleema Khan’s son with them,” he claimed. “No case has been registered against Shahrez, nor is he related to politics.”

Mudassar said that no information had been given about Shahrez’s whereabouts and that he would approach the Lahore High Court for his recovery.

PTI Information Secretary Sheikh Waqqas Akram wrote on X: “During an attack, people dressed in plain clothes abducted the son of Aleema Khan, the sister of Mr Imran Khan, from her home.

“We strongly condemn this thuggery and oppression. We demand from the current government and the Chief Justice that her son be immediately recovered and safely returned to her,” he added.

A post from the PTI’s official X account said that Aleema’s home, from where Shahrez was taken, was “attacked by individuals in plain clothes”.

“Her son Shahrez has been abducted, family members were harassed and staff were beaten,” the post alleged, calling the incident “fascism” and adding that Shahrez must be recovered immediately.

A longer statement from the party’s central information department termed the incident “the height of thuggery and oppression”.

“Shahrez Khan was abducted from his bedroom after breaking the doors of the house, the servants were subjected to brutal violence and Shahrez Khan was tortured in front of his two innocent children after forcibly entering the room,” the party alleged in the statement.

The statement highlighted that Shahrez was stopped from travelling with his wife at Lahore Airport yesterday and “illegally offloaded”. The PTI branded this treatment a “blatant violation of basic human rights”.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur took to X to condemn the incident and demand Sharez’s immediate release.

“The abduction of Aleema Khan’s son Shahrez from her home by men in plain clothes is despicable,” he wrote.

Former opposition leader in the National Assembly Omar Ayub Khan also condemned the incident.

“Plain clothes unknown people attacked the house, abducted her son Shahrez and beat the household staff,” he wrote on X. “Such cowardly acts prove that PM Imran Khan, his family members and PTI activists cannot be defeated.”

PTI Secretary General Salman Akram Raja also highlighted that during the incident, household staff were allegedly attacked and the family was harassed.

Born in Lahore, Shahrez completed his schooling at Aitchison College before heading to Oxford University for his MBA. At present, he works as the regional head at Simba Global, a linen supplier based in Australia. He is also a triathlete.