Police in Pakistan detained more than 240 Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) supporters on Tuesday during nationwide protests marking two years since former Prime Minister Imran Khan’s imprisonment. The demonstrations, held across multiple cities, demanded Khan’s immediate release.
In Lahore, officials confirmed arresting 122 activists accused of blocking roads and disturbing peace. Overnight raids in Punjab accounted for the rest, security officials reported. However, Lahore’s police chief Faisal Kamran insisted that only 30 protesters were caught in the act during road blockages.
Meanwhile, thousands gathered in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the PTI-led province. Karachi and Muzaffarabad saw police fire tear gas to disperse demonstrators. In Quetta, PTI women supporters rallied with anti-government slogans, while nearly 2,000 people in Karachi paraded on bikes, rickshaws, and cars carrying party flags before police intervened.
Tensions escalated when videos emerged of senior PTI leader Rehana Dar being dragged into a police van. PTI also alleged damage to vehicles and injuries to several members, including in Balochistan and Punjab.
Khan, imprisoned since August 5, 2023, over corruption charges linked to state gifts, also faces terrorism-related cases from the May 2023 riots. From jail, he called on supporters to “protest peacefully until true democracy returns.”
Ahead of the protests, Rawalpindi authorities imposed Section 144, banning gatherings until August 10 due to “security threats.” Even so, PTI Secretary General Salman Akram Raja, TTAP chief Mahmood Achakzai, and others tried to reach Adiala Jail to register their protest.
Government figures condemned the rallies. Punjab Information Minister Azma Bokhari dismissed the turnout as exaggerated, while Kashmir Affairs Minister Amir Muqam accused PTI of overshadowing the Kashmir cause by choosing August 5 for demonstrations.
According to PTI leaders, this protest is just the start of a broader campaign, hinting that the political standoff may intensify in the coming weeks.
