RAWALPINDI/LAHORE:
The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) on Tuesday staged protests across the country to mark the second anniversary of former prime minister Imran Khan’s detention, amid crackdowns and roadblocks.
The local administration in Rawalpindi, however, largely managed to stop PTI and opposition leaders from holding a protest outside Adiala Jail and only a handful of people could come close to the facility where Imran was shifted in September 2023 and has been detained since.
The protests were held in response to a call by Imran Khan himself, who, through party channels, had urged peaceful resistance to what he called the erosion of democratic norms.
“The movement that begins on August 5 will continue until democracy is restored in its true spirit,” read a message attributed to the former prime minister.
In response to the call, PTI supporters staged demonstrations and rallies nationwide, described by the PTI as part of a national movement to restore democracy. The protests drew sizable turnouts despite sweeping security measures, mass arrests, and a heavy police crackdown, particularly in Punjab.
The most intense crackdown unfolded in Punjab, where police moved quickly to prevent large assemblies. In Lahore, police launched overnight raids, detaining scores of PTI workers.
While police claimed around 30 arrests for unlawful assembly and road blockades, PTI officials insisted the actual number was significantly higher, estimating at least 300 detentions, including activists picked up during the night.
PTI Punjab media head Shayan Bashir said more than 200 separate raids were carried out ahead of the demonstrations. Many of those detained were reportedly released after signing bail undertakings.
According to Reuters, nearly 120 arrests were made during raids overnight and early Tuesday, with the remainder occurring during protests in Lahore.
“Free Imran Khan!” chanted around 200 supporters of his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party outside a Lahore courthouse, while smaller groups staged protests across the city.
Deputy Inspector General of police Faisal Kamran told Reuters nearly three dozen activists attempting to block roads were among those arrested. Party spokesperson Zulfikar Bukhari claimed over 200 activists were detained in Lahore alone.
Among those arrested were several sitting members of the Punjab Assembly. Deputy Opposition Leader Moin Qureshi was taken into custody during a protest, along with MPAs Farrukh Javed Moon, Col (retd) Shoaib Amir, Nadeem Sadiq Dogar, Khawaja Salahuddin, Aminullah Khan, and Iqbal Khattak.
PTI officials claimed that police used batons to attack lawmakers’ vehicles, broke windows, and assaulted members during the crackdown.
Video footage of 80-year-old party leader Rehana Dar being forcibly detained drew condemnation from across party lines and went viral on social media. The PTI labelled the act “a disgraceful sight” and accused the Punjab government of employing “fascist tactics” to crush dissent.
Authorities invoked Section 144 to prohibit public gatherings in key urban centres, including Lahore, Islamabad, and Rawalpindi.
Access to Adiala Jail was restricted, with heavy security and road closures in place and party leaders’ call for a protest near the prison proved ineffective.
Only Senator Humayun Mohmand, MNA Maulana Naseem Ali Shah, and MNA Sajid Khan Mohmand reached the Dahgal checkpoint on Adiala Road, where police prevented them from going further.
Among the six leaders scheduled to meet the PTI founder, only party spokesperson Niazullah Niazi managed to reach Gate 5 of the jail, but police immediately instructed him to leave.
Imran’s three sisters also attempted to visit him via the Chakri Interchange on the motorway, but were stopped by a heavy police presence from proceeding toward Adiala Jail. Two lawyers, Shamsa Kayani and Owais Younis, reached the Gorakhpur checkpoint but were also barred from moving ahead.
Meanwhile, party leaders Salman Akram Raja, Latif Khosa, and Mehmood Khan Achakzai were stopped at a checkpoint near a private housing society close to Adiala Road.
A few female PTI workers gathered at the Dahgal checkpoint and chanted slogans but the PTI failed to mount any significant presence in Rawalpindi or near Adiala Jail, as local leaders and workers largely remained absent due to fear of arrests.
In Islamabad, members of parliament from the PTI staged a protest outside the Parliament House. The demonstration was led by Chief Whip Aamir Dogar. Before PTI lawmakers could leave for Adiala Jail, a heavy police contingent surrounded the Parliament House and its main gate was closed.
PTI members held a press conference inside the Parliament House, during which they strongly criticized the arrest of the PTI founder, the prevailing political situation, and the conduct of state institutions.
Despite a clampdown, demonstrations, however, took place in multiple cities and districts across Punjab, including Sialkot, Okara, Kasur, Muzaffargarh, Dera Ghazi Khan, Mianwali, Mandi Bahauddin, Layyah, Toba Tek Singh, Khanewal, and Narowal.
In Lahore, large crowds gathered along Canal Road, led by PTI leaders Chaudhry Asghar Gujjar, Malik Usman Hamza Awan, and Hafiz Zeeshan Rasheed. In Rawalpindi, PTI Youth Wing activists brought out a rally under the leadership of Raja Saqib Ali and Shuja Abbasi.
In Okara, a major rally was organised by District President Chaudhry Saleem Sadiq and General Secretary Chaudhry Abdul Rehman Tariq, while in Kasur, Sardar Dawood Aslam Dogar led demonstrations calling for Khan’s release.
In other cities, PTI mobilised through local party offices, drawing crowds that included youth groups, lawyers, and labour unions. In Toba Tek Singh, PTI’s chief organiser Aliya Hamza called on citizens and legal professionals to rally. Reports indicated that her vehicle was attacked by police while she attempted to join a protest.
In Mandi Bahauddin, Begum Kausar Muhammad Khan Bhatti and Liaqat Ali Bhatti led a rally, while Layyah’s PTI Youth Wing held a protest at Chowk Azam. In Narowal, a labour wing motorcycle rally demanded Khan’s release.
The PTI’s legal wing was also mobilised. Lawyers staged protests outside the Lahore High Court and other judicial venues, declaring allegiance to Khan and pledging legal assistance for arrested activists.
According to the Insaf Legal Forum’s Lahore president Malik Shujaat Jandran, three teams were stationed at key courts across the city to provide bail support.
As the day unfolded, tensions between law enforcement and demonstrators continued to escalate. PTI officials accused police of harassing its media team and raiding the residence and office of Shayan Bashir.
Party chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan reiterated that the protests were being held on the direct instructions of Imran Khan and would continue until his release. “We will not rest until securing the former prime minister’s release,” he said.
PTI Central Information Secretary Sheikh Waqas Akram also issued a strongly-worded statement, condemning the hybrid regime for unleashing a reign of terror by deploying “Gullu Butts” against peaceful protestors.
He also saluted the courage of Pakistanis, “who have risen nationwide in response to their wrongfully imprisoned leader’s call — defying the regime’s brutal crackdown and unprecedented state barbarity that has plumbed new depths of repression”.
WITH INPUT FROM REUTERS
