ISLMABAD: PTI leader Babar Awan claimed on Thursday the former federal minister Azam Swati had been “arrested” by men who identified themselves as Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) personnel.

“Midnight jackals came to his house and identified themselves as FIA personnel,” he said while speaking to the media. The authorities have yet to confirm arresting the senator.

Awan said he was condemning the “arrest” on his, the nation’s and the PTI’s behalf.

Last week, the PTI had said that a number of its leaders including Senator Saiful­lah Khan Nyazee, Hamid Zaman and Tariq Shafi — had been picked up by the Federal Inves­tigation Agency (FIA); a claim that the agency had initially denied.

Later, during a press conference, Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah had said that Saifullah Nyazee and Amir Zaman had been taken into “protective custody” for interrogation, adding they might be arrested after due diligence, if necessary.

He said that the two men had not been appearing in the prohibited funding case.

Meanwhile, PTI founding member Hamid Zaman’s arrest by the FIA in a connection with a prohibited funding case in Lahore was also confirmed.

According to the FIR lodged against him, both Hamid and Shafi are accused of being accomplices of Abraaj founder Arif Masood Naqvi.

The FIR alleged that Naqvi had “siphoned off Rs9.1bn from funds of Abraaj Group and its subsidiary companies abroad and funnelled to the Aman Foundation’s accounts through Foreign Telegraphic Transfers (FTTs) with unexplained money trail.”