Hundreds of supporters of Imran Khan’s embattled Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf(PTI) were arrested in different cities, including Lahore, Karachi andPeshawar, on Sunday as the party began electioneering for the February 8general election.
In Karachi, at least 50 people were arrested after PTI workers and policeclashed in Karachi’s Teen Talwar during an election rally.
Police said the PTI did not obtain prior permission for holding a rally inthe Red Zone, while the party said it was being deprived of itsconstitutional right to campaign.
The development came as the leaders of all major political parties —including the PPP, the PML-N and the Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) —continued with their election campaigns in the country.
In Rawalpinid, police launched a crackdown and arrested 10 supporters ofthe PTI. Police arrested the PTI supporters carrying Imran Khan’s photosand PTI flags when they were raising slogans against violation of theconstitution in the NA-56 constituency.
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In Peshawar, police cracked down on several PTI supporters and arrestedmany of them. Police said that PTI workers were staging a rally withoutofficial permission.
In Lahore, police arrest former federal minister Hammad Azhar’s father MianMuhammad Azhar. Taking to X later, Hamad Azhar wrote, “My 82 year oldfather arrested. He wanted to lead a rally as per his democratic andconstitutional right. Pakistan has today been reduced to a total fasciststate with zero human rights or rule of law. One Nawaz Sharif & hisdaughter calling the shots and ruining the country.”