Members and supporters of former Prime Minister Imran Khan’s political party were arrested as they attempted to stage demonstrations across various cities to commemorate the second anniversary of Khan’s arrest, according to officials and a party spokesperson.
Among those detained was 73-year-old Rehana Dar, a prominent and outspoken politician from Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party. Known for her vocal criticism of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s administration, Dar was captured on video being forcefully taken into custody and placed in a police vehicle in Lahore, located in the northeast of the country.
PTI spokesperson Zulfiqar Bukhari accused law enforcement of using excessive force against peaceful demonstrators, including baton charges and tear gas, particularly in Lahore and Karachi — Pakistan’s southern port city and provincial capital.
Bukhari stated that PTI had organized non-violent rallies aimed at protesting Khan’s continued imprisonment and calling for what they say is overdue justice. However, the authorities clamped down ahead of the events by banning public gatherings in major cities such as Islamabad and Rawalpindi. Khan is currently jailed in Rawalpindi, having been convicted in several cases — verdicts his supporters claim are driven by political motives.
The majority of the arrests reportedly occurred in Rawalpindi, likely for breaching the prohibition on assemblies. Additional detentions took place in Lahore, though the specific charges were not immediately disclosed.
The arrests coincided with another political blow to PTI: Pakistan’s Election Commission disqualified senior opposition figure Omar Ayub Khan, along with several other party lawmakers. This decision followed their convictions linked to the May 2023 unrest that erupted after Imran Khan’s initial arrest on corruption charges.
Imran Khan, who was removed from office in April 2022 through a parliamentary no-confidence vote led by Shehbaz Sharif — then the opposition leader and now the prime minister — remains at the center of Pakistan’s turbulent political landscape.
