Former Jamaat-e-Islami senator Mushtaq Ahmad was released on Thursday after his supporters alleged he had been held for more than a day following an attempt to enter Azad Jammu and Kashmir, where he planned to express solidarity with protesters amid the ongoing unrest.
His team claimed security personnel blocked his entry into the region before Punjab Police later detained him during his return journey to Islamabad. Authorities had not immediately commented on the allegations.
Announcing his release on X, the administrator of Ahmad’s account wrote, “Praise be to Allah! Senator Mushtaq Ahmad Khan has been released.”
The statement described his detention as “illegal” and said Ahmad would address a press conference at 2pm at the Pakistan Rights Movement Central Secretariat in Islamabad.
According to his team, Ahmad was stopped at Azad Pattan Bridge while travelling with white flags intended as a symbol of solidarity with families affected by the recent violence in AJK. They alleged that, after turning back, Punjab Police intercepted his vehicle in Kahuta Bazaar at about 7:07pm and forcibly took him away.
The incident comes amid escalating tensions in AJK following clashes between security forces and the proscribed Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC), with both sides reporting casualties.