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Reuters
6 days ago
- Politics
- Reuters
Pakistan police arrest 240 protesters demanding ex-PM Khan's release
LAHORE, Pakistan, Aug 5 (Reuters) - Police in Pakistan arrested more than 240 opposition party activists on Tuesday at protests calling for the release of their leader Imran Khan on the second anniversary of his jailing, security officials and police said. At least 122 were arrested trying to block roads and threatening law and order in the eastern city of Lahore, capital of Punjab province, said Deputy Inspector General of police Faisal Kamran. The remainder were picked up in overnight raids in the province, two security officials said. Thousands rallied in support of Khan in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, which is ruled by his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party, officials said. Police fired teargas in the cities of Karachi and Muzaffarabad. "Free Imran Khan!" chanted supporters outside a Lahore courthouse, while smaller groups staged protests across the city. Party spokesperson Zulfikar Bukhari said over 200 activists were detained in Lahore alone. "Down with the government!" shouted a group of PTI women supporters rallying in Quetta, while nearly 2,000 activists in Karachi held demonstrations on bikes, rickshaws, and other vehicles, carrying posters of Khan and party flags before police dispersed them by firing teargas. Islamabad and nearby Rawalpindi remained quiet, with heavy police deployments on main roads. Uzma Bukhari, a spokesperson for Punjab's provincial government, said the PTI cannot be allowed to create chaos by holding the protests, a charge the party's spokesperson denied. In a message attributed to Khan on his party's X account on Monday, he urged supporters to "come out and hold peaceful protests until a true democracy is restored". The former cricket star was elected prime minister in 2018 but once in office, he fell out with the powerful military and was ousted in 2022 by parliament. His arrest in May 2023 sparked protests against the military nationwide, leading to a crackdown on the party. Khan denies any wrongdoing and has dismissed as politically motivated the dozens of cases against him, ranging from terrorism to disclosure of official secrets. He was convicted in January in a corruption case, but was acquitted of other charges or received suspended sentences. Hundreds of Khan's party members including several parliamentarians were convicted late last month on charges related to the 2023 protests against his arrest. By law, nine of the parliamentarians were disqualified on Tuesday, the Election Commission of Pakistan said. Khan's party emerged as the single biggest in the 2024 election, and it says that vote rigging robbed it of more seats. Other parties joined forces to form a government under Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, who denies coming to power through electoral fraud.
Arab News
7 days ago
- Politics
- Arab News
Pakistan's capital imposes ban on public gatherings ahead of protest by Imran Khan's party
ISLAMABADA: Islamabad's district administration has imposed a ban on public gatherings under Section 144 ahead of a planned nationwide protest by former prime minister Imran Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party on Tuesday, warning that all those found involved in 'illegal activities' would be arrested immediately. Section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) empowers district administrations to issue orders in public interest that may place a ban on a gathering of four or more persons for a specific period of time. The section has been used frequently in the past by Pakistani authorities to crack down on anti-government protests. The development took place as Khan's PTI party plans to stage a countrywide protest today, August 5, coinciding with the second anniversary of the former prime minister's incarceration. Khan, who was ousted in a no-confidence vote in 2022, remains in prison facing multiple charges he claims are politically motivated. His party leaders say they are protesting to demand his release from prison and their basic rights being denied by the government. 'Section 144 is in effect in the federal capital,' the Islamabad deputy commissioner was quoted as saying in a statement released by his office on Monday. 'Under Section 144, all forms of gatherings or assemblies are prohibited.' The deputy commissioner warned that strict legal action would be taken in case of any violation of Section 144, urging citizens not to take part in any illegal activity. Speaking to private news channel Geo News on Monday night, Pakistan's Minister of State for Interior Tallal Chaudry said the government believes it is the PTI's right to protest peacefully. He blamed Khan's party for not contacting the government and seeking permission to hold protests across various parts of the country, including the central jail in Rawalpindi where Khan is imprisoned. 'They [PTI leaders] should take us into confidence, it is their right to protest under the ambit of the law, and they have that right to protest under certain conditions,' the minister said. Khan has been in jail for two years on a slew of charges that he says are politically motivated. His PTI party has held frequent protests demanding his release and frequently agitated against the Pakistani government over what it says were rigged general elections in February 2024 and a campaign to subdue PTI supporters since his ouster from the PM's office in April 2022. Pakistani authorities deny Khan's allegations, accusing the ex-premier and his party of leading violent anti-government protests in the past, particularly in May 2023 and Nov. 2024. On May 9, 2023, frenzied mobs across the country carrying flags of Khan's party attacked government and military installations, while a protest in November to demand Khan's release killed four troops during clashes, officials say. The PTI denies instigating followers to violence and accuses the military and its political rivals of resorting to rights abuses against its supporters. They both deny the charges. Khan, who was believed to have been brought into power by Pakistan's powerful military, fell out with the generals in the months leading to his ouster from the prime minister's office. His party accuses the military, which has ruled Pakistan for nearly half of its history and holds sway in politics even when not in power, of colluding with Khan's rivals to keep him out of politics. The military and Khan's rivals deny this.
