ISLAMABAD/LAHORE: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) on Tuesday staged protest rallies across various parts of the country, demanding the release of former Prime Minister Imran Khan, who was arrested two years ago on corruption charges.
The party claimed that more than 500 of its workers and supporters were detained by police, mainly in Punjab province.
Imran Khan, 72, was arrested on August 5, 2023, from his residence in Lahore after being convicted in a corruption case. He has remained incarcerated since, facing convictions in multiple cases and is currently lodged in Adiala Jail, Rawalpindi.
Tuesday’s protests were called by Khan himself. According to PTI, thousands of supporters responded by taking to the streets.
“August 5 marks two years since the incarceration of former Prime Minister Imran Khan — during which his basic human rights have been stripped, with minimal access to legal counsel, family, and political leadership,” said senior PTI leader Zulfi Bukhari in a statement.
Bukhari, who also serves as Khan’s spokesperson for international media and relations, accused the government of cracking down on peaceful protests. He alleged authorities blocked highways, damaged vehicles displaying PTI flags, and raided the homes of party leaders.
“In Punjab alone, over 500 PTI leaders and workers have been arrested, many of them lawmakers,” he said. “There is no democracy, rule of law, or respect for human rights. This level of tyranny is disgraceful, even under this hybrid regime.”
He added that the demonstrations would remain peaceful, despite what he described as the government’s fear-driven response.
Most arrests reportedly took place in Lahore, where PTI supporters rallied in large numbers. Police arrested them for violating Section 144 — a law that prohibits gatherings of four or more people.
A spokesperson for Punjab Police said enforcement of Section 144 would continue and that arrests were made accordingly.
With mainstream media barred from covering the protests, videos of police crackdowns — including footage of elderly supporters being dragged — circulated widely on social media, drawing widespread criticism.
However, a PTI lawyers’ rally on Lahore’s Mall Road proceeded with limited interference, as police exercised restraint.
Protests also erupted in Okara, Sheikhupura, Jhang, and other areas. Clashes were reported between PTI supporters and law enforcement in some locations.
In one incident, the car of Aliya Hamza, PTI’s Punjab chief organiser, was attacked. She claimed on social media that police broke her car’s windscreen and assaulted her with batons.
Another PTI leader, Musarrat Jamshed Cheema, posted a video showing police raiding her residence. “Breathing has become a crime in Punjab under Maryam Nawaz, who acts more like a dictator than a chief minister,” she said.
“In any democracy, protests are met with lawful response when public property is damaged. Here, the state itself violates basic rights even before a protest begins,” she added.
Former National Assembly Speaker Asad Qaiser announced that PTI supporters would also gather outside Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi to protest Khan’s continued detention.
“Imran Khan has said he is willing to spend 10 years in prison for the people and for the rule of law, but he will not yield to this regime,” said Qaiser, who now serves as Secretary General of the opposition alliance Tehreek Tahaffuz Ain-e-Pakistan (TTAP).
PTI leader Ali Muhammad Khan also demanded the immediate release of Khan and other “innocent political prisoners,” stressing that Pakistan’s challenges require political dialogue, not repression.
In anticipation of the protests, the Punjab government imposed Section 144 in both Lahore and Rawalpindi. More than 4,000 police personnel were deployed across Rawalpindi, with heightened security around Adiala Jail, including a red alert and road closures.
The provincial government also deployed the paramilitary Punjab Rangers for additional security.
While there were reports of protests in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, PTI primarily shared details of its activities in Punjab. The party circulated several protest videos on social media, though it remained unclear whether all footage was from Tuesday’s demonstrations.
