LAHORE: Supporters of former Prime Minister Imran Khan, who was removed from office in 2022 and has been imprisoned at Adiala Jail since August 2023, began yet another protest movement Tuesday to seek his release.
The campaign, known locally as the “Free Imran Khan” movement, officially began on Tuesday, marking the second anniversary of his incarceration over a £190 million corruption conviction tied to state gifts.
In the eastern city of Lahore, Punjab province’s capital, police detained more than 30 activists from Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party seeking to block roads as part of the movement’s launch. This was part of a broader allegation by the PTI that over 200 raids were conducted across Punjab in the days leading up to the protests, with worker homes targeted in an apparent effort to suppress mobilization.
Rehana Dar, a senior PTI figure and former election candidate, was filmed being forcibly boarded into a police van by riot-trained officers — a move that the party condemned as humiliating, especially given her age.
Law enforcement officials say the detentions were limited to a few dozen individuals attempting to obstruct traffic.
The PTI called on loyalists to continue nationwide protests, indicating that August 5 was only the starting point, not a concluding call to action.
In July, anti-terrorism courts in Pakistan sentenced more than 100 PTI members, including high-ranking leaders like Omar Ayub Khan and Shibli Faraz, to up to 10 years’ imprisonment on charges connected to the May 2023 riots.
