KARACHI: The Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf on Saturday claimed that the police picked up its Karachi president Raja Azhar and other senior leaders.

PTI spokesperson Fouzia Siddiqi alleged that the arrests were part of government efforts to “sabotage” its peaceful protest near Millennium Mall in Gulistan-i-Jauhar.

She said that heavy contingent of police cordoned off the area and harassed the workers including women when they gathered near Millennium Mall to take part in the protest demonstration.

“The police sabotaged the peaceful protest plan and seized sound system and other stuff placed there for addressing the demonsrators,” she said.

Later, the police also arrested Raja Azhar and MPAs Sajjad Soomro, Wajid Khan, Chaudary Owais and other workers, she said.

She said that the police shifted the held workers to the nearby Sharea Faisal police station, where a large number of party activists led by Sindh chapter president Haleem Adil Sheikh gathered and staged a sit-in to demand release of their colleagues.

Dawn reached out several police officer but they were reluctant to give an official version regarding detention of PTI leaders and workers.