CHAKWAL: The district vice president of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf in Chakwal, Malik Akhtar Shahbaz, was taken into custody by Chakwal Police from the office of assistant commissioner Kallar Kahar, where he went to submit his nomination papers for PP 22.

`Neither police informed me over what charges they have arrested me nor do I know my crime,` Mr Shahbaz told Dawn on the phone from Kallar Kahar Police Station.

Although Chakwal Police officially remained mute over the detention of Mr Shahbaz, sources told Dawn that he was detained under the maintenance of public order law. `More leaders of the PTI would be detained as a crackdown is about to launch, a source said.

On the condition of anonymity, a police official said that `orders to detain PTI candidates have been given by the high-ups. .

When contacted, District Police Officer Retired Captain Wahid Mehmood said `I have just come out of a meeting chaired by IG. I do not know what happened.

However, I would look into the issue soon,` DPO claimed.

Talking to Dawn, PTPs district president, Chaudhry Ali Nasir Bhatti, who managed to secure protective bail on Thursday, termed the detention of Mr Shahbaz unlawful. `I condemn such tactics which are being employed to keep PTI candidates out of the electoral race,` he said, and he urged the Election Commission of Pakistan and the Supreme Court to intervene. `It was the Supreme Court which ensured the holding of the election; now it is the duty ofthe apexcourttoensure free and fair election as well,` he maintained.