Watch: during arrest, Pakistan ex-minister smokes cigar amid trouble over 'plot to kill Imran Khan' claim

Following the arrest of former Pakistan minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed, the Opposition leader was seen smoking a cigar as police escorted him in handcuffs. The chief of the Awami Muslim League (AML) held his hands aloft to let supporters and media see his bound hands.

The former interior minister, who is a close ally of ex-Prime Minister Imran Khan, was arrested in the early hours of 2 February 2023. Police arrested Ahmed on a complaint that on 27 January, he accused Pakistan People's Party co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari of conspiring with terrorists to kill Imran Khan. The complaint was filed by Raja Inayat-ur-Rehman, a vice president of PPP Rawalpindi Division.

Zardari rejected the allegations and also sent a legal notice to Khan to apologize and take back the accusations or a case of damages would be filed against him.

According to a video clip of the arrested leader, he alleged that police ransacked his house and thrashed domestic staffers while attempting to arrest him. He also vowed to challenge his arrest in the high court. He also alleged that some (personnel) used ladders to enter his house. He went on to say that he had been arrested despite getting relief from the Islamabad High Court.

He claimed that lawyer Mian Tahir had secured his bail and went on to allege that Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah was behind the incident.

(With PTI inputs)

Also Watch: At least 3 killed after latest Russian onslaught in Ukraine's Kramatorsk