Protesters affiliated with the PTI party take to the streets during Imran Khan's second year of detention, leading to multiple arrests.
The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) continues to lead nationwide protests, demanding the release of former Prime Minister Imran Khan, who completed two years in prison on August 5. These demonstrations, organised under the banner of Tehreek Tahafuz Ayeen-e-Pakistan (TTAP), are being supervised by PTI Secretary General Salman Akram Raja and directed by PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan[1][2][3].
The protests are taking place in all four provinces and Azad Kashmir, with rallies planned in various cities[1][2]. Imran Khan, who was elected in 2018 but ousted in 2022 through a no-confidence vote in parliament, was arrested in May 2023, sparking nationwide protests[1].
PTI leaders and activists have faced restrictions and arrests in their efforts to assemble and protest. In Lahore, at least seven members of the Punjab Assembly were arrested in overnight raids[1][2]. Security forces have also targeted protests in other Punjab cities, as well as in Islamabad and Rawalpindi, where Section 144 has been imposed, barring illegal gatherings and large assemblies[1][2][4].
Despite these challenges, the PTI movement remains peaceful, with PTI leader Asad Qaiser assuring that the protests will be conducted in a non-violent manner[1][2]. Imran Khan himself has urged his supporters to maintain peaceful protests until "true democracy is restored," framing his incarceration and numerous corruption and terrorism charges against him and party members as politically motivated[1][2][3].
The federal capital administration has declined to allow the PTI local chapter to hold a protest show at F-9 Park on August 5, while security has been significantly ramped up around Adiala Jail due to the planned protest by the PTI[1][2][5]. PTI leaders from Sindh, Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and Punjab have communicated the protest plan to the central leadership, with all MNAs and senators gathering outside Adiala Jail under the leadership of Aleema Khan[1][2][3].
PTI activists have been informed to remain vigilant and prepared for the protests, with ticket holders placed on alert[1]. PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan will be leading a rally in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's Buner as part of the protest today[1]. Imran Khan denies any wrongdoing and dismisses the dozens of cases against him as politically motivated[1][2][3]. The protests continue to draw large turnouts across multiple cities, despite heavy police crackdowns and widespread arrests of PTI members and activists.
In the ongoing protests, the general news and crime-and-justice sectors are also reporting on the escalating war-and-conflicts within Pakistan's political landscape, as Imran Khan's incarceration and numerous charges against him and party members are perceived as politically motivated. Meanwhile, the news media is covering the PTI's efforts to organize peaceful demonstrations in various cities, despite numerous challenges and arrests of PTI leaders and activists.
