Pakistan-Tehreek-i-Insaaf (PTI) leader and senior supreme court lawyer, Salman Akram Raja, was briefly arrested in Lahore on Saturday while staging a protest against alleged poll rigging.

When being whisked away by the police, Raja was heard saying to reporters, “They are arresting me unlawfully. I am with the public and we will continue to raise my voice for the truth.”

He was released a few hours later.

In the aftermath of the arrest, and prior to his eventual release, the PTI termed the act “extremely shameful and disgusting”.

The party also shared a video on its official X account of the Punjab police taking the lawyer into custody.

Following the development, Taimur Saleem Khan Jhagra, another PTI leader, deemed the arrest “shameful”, adding that “these are now desperate attempts to hide the falsification of results”.

Historian and politician, Ammar Ali Jan, termed the arrest as “bankruptcy” of the “deep state”.

Former Senator, Afrasiab Khattak, condemned the arrest of the senior PTI leader, adding that “peaceful protest against rigging is a fundamental right of every citizen. Such actions can’t silence the people’s protest”.

Political analyst Mosharraf Zaidi questioned the grounds of the arrest, asking why an advocate of the Constitution and democracy was “needlessly dragged to a police van”.

Public policy researcher and politician, Ammar Rashid, called it “calculated madness” which seemed like a push for violence and overt intervention.

Dawn correspondent Atika Rehman called the arrest as well as scuffles with female protestors “ridiculous and badly handled”.

Barrister Khadija Siddiqi condemned the “abhorrent and fascist tactics against political workers” and demanded Raja’s immediate release.

PTI lawyer Mashal Yousafzai said the police’s conduct was “shameful”, and urged the chief justice to take notice.

Barrister and Dawn columnist Asad Rahim Khan recalled Raja’s legal services, and called for everyone to “raise your voice now”.

Barrister Ayesha Munir also wondered why Raja was arrested for merely “protesting against rigging”.