YouTuber, anchor, and journalist Imran Riaz Khan was arrested again from Lahore Airport while wearing Ihram, according to his lawyer, Advocate Azhar Siddique.
Advocate Siddique confirmed that Imran Riaz was taken into custody by unknown persons accompanied by police, despite being on bail in all cases. He noted there was a scuffle at the airport during the arrest.
On Imran Riaz Khan’s X account, it was stated that he was arrested by both uniformed and non-uniformed individuals despite court orders. The post described the arrest as forceful and rude, with Khan raising the slogan ‘Labaik Allah’ before being seated in a black double-cabin vehicle.
In a shared video, Imran Riaz expressed his desire to perform Hajj, stating, “I want to go for Hajj, not to leave this country. Everyone knows that I will never leave this country. I want to live in this country but I also want to be alive and free.”
He mentioned that he has been repeatedly arrested, disappeared, and had cases filed against him. “I have spent the last two months in great pain. I wanted to go for Hajj in 2022, but got arrested. Then I tried in 2023 and now this year again I want to go to perform Hajj,” he said.
Imran Riaz added that he had informed various authorities of his intention to go for Hajj with no other motive. He lamented that this was the last flight for Hajj, and he had been warned of heavy police and ranger presence at the airport likely to arrest him.
“I have bought five times Hajj tickets which are non-refundable. My family is also waiting for me at the airport,” he said, indicating his commitment to the pilgrimage and his intention to return for a court appearance on July 8.
He concluded by stating that this video would only be seen if he was not allowed to go or was arrested, asserting that he knows who is stopping him.