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07-08-2025
By SJA Jafri
LAHORE: Thousands of supporters of former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan are rallying across the country to demand his release on the second anniversary of his imprisonment.
Security officials on Tuesday said dozens of activists belonging to Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party have been arrested, with most detentions made on Monday night and early on Tuesday in the eastern city of Lahore, where the PTI has called a huge demonstration later in the day.
At least 200 activists had been arrested from Lahore, said PTI spokesperson Zulfikar Bukhari, adding that the protests would still take place. Lahore is the capital of Punjab, the country’s most politically important region and home to half of its population.
Khan, a popular cricket star, was elected prime minister in 2018. But once in office, he fell out with Pakistan’s powerful military and was toppled in 2022 through a vote in parliament. His arrest in May 2023 on several charges spurred widespread protests against the military, leading to a crackdown on the party.
In a message attributed to Khan on his party’s social media account on Monday, he urged supporters to “come out and hold peaceful protests until a true democracy is restored in the country”.
Khan’s party posted a video on its social media account on Tuesday, showing a former PTI candidate, Rehana Dar, being carried into a police van by personnel with riot gear.
“An elder like Rehana Dar is being dragged by the shameless Punjab Police, a disgraceful sight,” the PTI said.
Social media videos also showed at least two other people being detained in Lahore.
The PTI’s Multan chapter alleged that its Lahore rally was “attacked by police”, Pakistani newspaper Dawn reported on Tuesday.
“Rallies are being held today on the orders of the PTI founder,” PTI chairman Gohar Ali Khan said in a statement, adding they would continue until Khan’s release.
The rallies were held despite the government’s order barring “illegal” gatherings and large assemblies, Pakistan’s media reported.
In a statement on Monday, police said security was beefed up in major cities nationwide.
At a news conference on Monday, Khan’s party was accused of always creating “chaos” by Uzma Bukhari, a spokesperson of the provincial government.
“No political party can be barred from politics in Pakistan, but a terrorist organization disguised as a political party is not allowed to disrupt Pakistan’s peace,” Bukhari said.
PTI leader and former National Assembly speaker Asad Qaiser said the party has pledged to demonstrate peacefully and was not seeking confrontation, media reported.
Khan says the charges against him, ranging from terrorism to disclosure of official secrets are politically motivated. He was convicted in January in a corruption case, while being acquitted of other charges or receiving suspended sentences.
Before the protest call, hundreds of Khan’s party members, including several parliamentarians, were convicted late last month on charges related to the 2023 protests against his arrest.
Khan’s party emerged as the single biggest in the 2024 election, and it says rigging robbed it of more seats. Other parties merged to form a government under Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, who has denied coming to power through electoral fraud.
