LAHORE – Security officials confirmed that police arrested at least 120 supporters of Pakistan’s main opposition party during overnight raids ahead of protests planned for Tuesday, marking two years since the imprisonment of party leader Imran Khan.
Most of the arrests occurred late Monday and early Tuesday in Lahore, where Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) had announced plans for its largest demonstration, along with protests in other parts of the country.
According to PTI spokesperson Zulfikar Bukhari, over 200 party members were detained in Lahore alone, but he affirmed that the protest would proceed as planned.
Lahore, the capital of Punjab — Pakistan’s most politically significant and populous province — remains a key battleground. Neither the provincial government nor Punjab police responded to requests for comment on Tuesday. A day earlier, authorities had said large police deployments were in place across major cities in the province.
At a Monday press conference, provincial government spokesperson Uzma Bukhari accused PTI of sowing unrest. “No political party is barred from participating in politics, but a group operating as a terrorist outfit under the guise of a political party will not be allowed to disrupt peace,” she said.
On the same day, Khan issued a statement via PTI’s official X account, calling on supporters to “hold peaceful protests until true democracy is restored.”
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Khan, a former cricket star turned politician, rose to power in 2018 but fell out with the country’s powerful military, leading to his ouster in a 2022 parliamentary vote. His May 2023 arrest triggered nationwide protests and a sweeping crackdown on PTI.
Khan, who faces numerous legal cases — from terrorism charges to breaches of state secrecy — insists all allegations are politically motivated. Though he was convicted in a corruption case earlier this year, he has also been acquitted or given suspended sentences in other cases.
In the lead-up to Tuesday’s demonstrations, hundreds of PTI members — including several former lawmakers — were convicted last month over their involvement in the 2023 protests.
Despite being sidelined, PTI emerged as the largest party in the 2024 elections. The party claims widespread rigging denied it a parliamentary majority. A coalition government led by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif now holds power, rejecting PTI’s allegations of electoral fraud.