SAHIWAL: More than 40 ticket holders, workers and office bearers of the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) along with five social media activists have been detained by the Sahiwal Police on Friday ahead of the party’s Feb 8 protest call, Dawn has learnt.

While talking to Dawn, District Police Officer (DPO) Usman Tipu confirmed the detention and said that no one had been booked in any case. However, he said that they were only ‘warned’ against participating in the Feb 8 rally.

Sources claimed that police raided the houses and deras of PTI workers on Thursday night on intelligence agencies’ reports. Sources further said that workers who submitted affidavits pledging not to join the protest were released.

District Police office sources confirmed that till Friday evening, eight detainees had submitted affidavits and were released.

The detained workers included Mian Waheed Ahmad, Sajad Nasir, Rao Kaleemullah, Fazal Kareem, Muhammad Shawkat, Dr Rana Majid, Sajjad Ijaz Kathia, Sajid Manzoor, Azhar Khan, Waqar Younas, Allah Yar, Asif Hafiz, Safdar Khan, Mian Muhammad Sarwar, Zishan Zafar, Allah Ditta, Muhammad Anwar, Zishan Shani, Saleem, Mudassir Nazir, Manwar Hussain, Masood Ahmad, Mian Sajjad Nasir, and Meer Kashif. The five social media activists taken into custody were Jahanzaib, Tariq Fazal, Usama Bin Abrar, Syed Rameezuddin, and Ali Latif Shah.

Published in Dawn, February 7th, 2026