Islamabad: More than 200 opposition party activists of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party were arrested on August 5 for protests, demanding the release of former Prime Minister Imran Khan, who was arrested two years ago on corruption charges, police said.
According to a Reuters report, at least 122 were arrested trying to block roads and threatening law and order in Lahore, and thousands rallied in support of Khan in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. Police fired tear gas in the cities of Karachi and Muzaffarabad.
Khan, 72, was arrested on August 5, 2023, from his residence in Lahore after being convicted by a court in a corruption case. He has been incarcerated since his arrest due to conviction in other cases, and is being held at the Adiala Jail, Rawalpindi.
The call for the protest was given by Khan. His party claimed that supporters of the jailed leader responded by coming out in big numbers.
"Today, August 5, marks the second anniversary of the incarceration of former Prime Minister Imran Khan with all basic human rights revoked, no or very limited access to his legal team or family, no access to his political leadership other than a couple of people now and then," senior party leader Zulfi Bokhari said in a statement.
Ahead of the protests, the Rawalpindi district administration imposed Section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure. The ban, effective from August 4 to August 10, prohibits all types of rallies, sit-ins, demonstrations, protests, and gatherings of more than four people within the district limits, as per Geo News.
Other developments• Pakistan’s top election body has disqualified nine lawmakers of jailed former PM Imran Khan’s PTI, including leaders of the opposition in both chambers of the parliament, after their conviction in the May 9 riot case. • Protests were also organized outside the Pakistan Embassy in Washington, calling for Imran Khan's release. Speaking to ANI, PTI supporter Faraz Ali Khan said the military's interference in Pakistan's politics was the root cause of instability and questioned the long-term role of Army Chief Asim Munir. • Ahead of the nationwide protests, Imran Khan said he will not hold any talks or go into negotiations with a “hybrid" regime led by “dictator Asim", referring to Pakistan’s army chief Field Marshal Asim Munir. |
