By Staff Reporter
ISLAMABAD: Supporters of Pakistan’s opposition party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), rallied across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province on Tuesday to demand the release of former Prime Minister Imran Khan, marking two years since his arrest.
The demonstrations, part of a sustained campaign against what the party calls politically motivated persecution, were overshadowed by the arrest of activists and a ban on public gatherings in other parts of the country, including the federal capital and Punjab.
Khan, who led Pakistan from 2018 until his ouster in a parliamentary no-confidence vote in 2022, has been imprisoned at Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi since August 2023. He faces over 170 legal cases, including charges of corruption, sedition, and terrorism, allegations PTI claims are part of a military-backed effort to silence him. The government and army have rejected these accusations.
The rallies unfolded across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, a PTI stronghold since 2018, despite a nationwide clampdown. In Peshawar, the provincial capital, Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur led the main demonstration. Other rallies took place in districts such as Swabi, Charsadda, Mardan, Nowshera, Mohmand, Battagram, Abbottabad, Upper Chitral, Shangla, Upper Dir, Mansehra, and Kurram. The protests are part of a 90-day “do or die” campaign launched by PTI in mid-July to pressure the government into releasing Khan.
“This protest is being held to raise a voice against the illegal arrest of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf chairman and former prime minister Imran Khan and to demand his immediate release,” the PTI’s North Waziristan chapter said in a statement. At a rally in Miranshah, the district’s main town, party speakers said Khan is the hope and voice of the people of Pakistan and is being targeted for political revenge, urging the dismissal of “all false and baseless cases.”
In Upper Chitral, Deputy Speaker of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly Surayya Bibi and PTI District President Shehzada Sikandarul Mulk led a major rally toward Charon Bridge, joined by cabinet members and local leaders. In Kurram, PTI described its rally as “historic,” held under “difficult conditions,” with the district unit saying “the people of Kurram have proven that they stand with Imran Khan.”
The PTI’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa social media head, Ikram Khattana, said the rally departing from Swabi, Charsadda and Mardan will conclude at Ambar Interchange, Swabi. The rally departing from Chakdara Toll Plaza at 4pm will be led by MPAs Junaid Akbar and Fazal Hakim. “The Freedom Movement rally will also be held in other districts, with a large number of workers participating.”
Ahead of the rallies, authorities arrested at least 120 PTI supporters and leaders in overnight raids, primarily in Lahore, where the party had planned its largest demonstration. PTI spokesperson Zulfikar Bukhari put the number higher, claiming over 200 activists were detained in Lahore alone. The government imposed Section 144, banning public gatherings, in the federal capital and parts of Punjab, citing security threats.
Police detained more than 30 PTI activists for blocking roads, according to Deputy Inspector General Faisal Kamran, who denied reports of hundreds of arrests. Among those detained was Rehana Dar, a prominent PTI leader, with the party sharing a video of her being dragged into a police van. “An elder like Rehana Dar is being dragged by the shameless Punjab Police, a disgraceful sight,” PTI said on X, accusing Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz and Punjab Inspector General Usman Anwar of sinking to “a new low.”
Uzma Bukhari, a spokesperson for the provincial government, defended the crackdown at a press conference. “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.” She accused PTI of creating “chaos.”
In Rawalpindi and Islamabad, dozens of activists were preemptively detained, local media reported. PTI Secretary General Salman Akram Raja, Tehreek Tahafuz Ayin-i-Pakistan chief Mahmood Achkazai, and MNA Shandana Gulzar were stopped by Punjab police en route to Adiala Jail. “This route is closed,” an officer told Achkazai in a video shared by the party.
The protests reflect Pakistan’s deepening political divide. PTI alleges the government is weaponizing the judiciary to suppress dissent, a charge underscored by Khan’s prolonged detention. Imprisoned since August 5, 2023, in a case tied to state gifts, Khan is also serving a sentence in a £190 million corruption case and faces trials linked to the May 9, 2023, riots. He has been disqualified from public office by the election commission.
Khan issued a nationwide protest call, with a statement attributed to him declaring “the movement that begins on August 5 will continue until democracy is restored in its true spirit.” PTI leader Asad Qaiser clarified that August 5 marked the campaign’s start, not its end, alleging Khan rejected offers to leave jail in favor of continuing his fight.
The demonstrations disrupted daily life. The Islamabad-Peshawar Motorway closed at Swabi Interchange for over two hours as PTI convoys converged, stranding commuters until it reopened at 7:30 p.m. In Nowshera’s Khairabad area, a rally descended into chaos when workers clashed with leaders, blocking GT Road in frustration over perceived inaction.
PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Khan led a rally in Buner, joined by Provincial Minister Syed Fakhar Jahan, who condemned Khan’s “unjust” two-year imprisonment and the harassment of party lawmakers.
Qaiser, speaking elsewhere, outlined the party’s agenda. “We have launched a movement today which will focus on releasing our leader, Imran Khan, immediate withdrawal of all fake cases against him, supremacy of the Parliament, upholding of country’s Constitution in all circumstances and people’s civil rights.” He announced plans for a second phase on August 14, followed by protests in Sindh.
Former PTI leaders Asad Umar and Fawad Chaudhry, who left the party after the May 9 riots, also weighed in. Umar wrote on X, “Even two years after Imran Khan’s imprisonment, the anti-Khan narrative did not sell, and the public believes that Khan is imprisoned on political grounds, not legal ones.” Chaudhry added, “Imran was in jail just for the sake of democracy in Pakistan and people’s sovereignty.”
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