Imran Khan's party politicians arrested after clashes in Pakistan

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Senior politicians from Imran Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) have been arrested outside parliament, a day after the party issued a two-week ultimatum for the release of the jailed former prime minister.

Tens of thousands of supporters took to the streets of Islamabad on Sunday to demand Mr Khan's release. The mostly peaceful rallies turned violent after some members clashed with police, according to reports.

On Monday, an Islamabad police spokesperson confirmed that they had arrested PTI chairman Gohar Khan, lawmaker Sher Afzal Khan Marwat and lawyer Shoaib Shaheen.

The PTI told The Independent that at least 13 politicians have been arrested in what they condemn as a despicable and vicious act.

Videos circulating on social media show police removing Gohar Khan from his vehicle before taking him to the police station.

The manner in which this illegitimate military government violated the sanctity of the House of Representatives of Pakistan on September 10, trampling once again on the constitution and law of Pakistan, is condemnable, PTI said in a statement on X.

Mr Khan is being held in Rawalpindi's Adiala Jail, where he is contesting a series of prosecutions, mostly on corruption charges, all of which his supporters denounce as politically motivated. He has been acquitted or released on bail in most of the most serious cases.

Mr Khan was cleared of revealing state secrets for leaking a diplomatic cable at a political rally in 2022, and he and his wife were acquitted of illegal marriage charges in July.

However, the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) arrested him in a new case last July relating to the illegal sale of state gifts.

A protest rally demanding Imran Khan's release saw a huge turnout of supporters on Sunday (EPA)

The PTI claimed that the ruling coalition government was involved in an unconstitutional and undemocratic process to maintain its illegitimate power.

The crackdown on the PTI leadership came after lawmakers issued an ultimatum to the government in fiery speeches, saying the people would march on Lahore if Mr Khan was not released within two weeks.

These people who built the containers, whose police charged you with batons, I want them to listen. [that] We are coming to Lahore, Mr Marwat reportedly told the rally.

Sardar Ali Amin Khan Gandapur, the chief minister of the northwestern province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, reportedly told an angry crowd: “If Imran Khan is not released within two weeks, we will get him released ourselves.”

PTI party leaders have demanded their release within two weeks (AFP via Getty Images)

Authorities said charges will be brought against Mr. Gandapur for the two-week ultimatum and for allegedly inciting people to violence.

PTI says 13 leaders have been arrested so far (AFP via Getty Images)

Zulfi Bukhari, a spokesman for Mr Khan, condemned the crackdown on top party leaders and supporters, calling it a “knee-jerk reaction” to people gathering “in large numbers”.

He said Mr Gandapur remained unreachable for more than six hours after he was arrested by police. He has now returned to Peshawar.

Imran Khan remains under arrest since August last year (AP)

He also said the party leaders were arrested because they “took a strong stance demanding the release of politicians.”

Mr Khan's PTI has been at loggerheads with the ruling government of Shehbaz Sharif since the 72-year-old former cricket star was ousted in a no-confidence vote. It has claimed his ouster was orchestrated by Pakistan's powerful military at the behest of the United States. Both the military and the United States have denied the allegation.

He served as Prime Minister of Pakistan from 2018 to 2022.

Mr Khan and his party were barred from participating in national elections in February, which were said to have been rigged. Party-affiliated candidates, forced to run alone, nevertheless won most seats in parliament, but not enough to form a government.

Pakistan’s parliament last week rushed through the Peaceful Assembly and Public Order Act, 2024, which seeks to regulate and ban public gatherings in Islamabad. The bill, which was passed less than a week after being tabled in the Senate, has been criticized as draconian legislation aimed at cracking down on protesters.

Amnesty International said the law aimed to criminalize peaceful protest and suppress dissent and demanded that the Pakistani government repeal it.

Rather than attempting to bring the existing restrictive legal framework into line with international human rights law and standards, the Pakistani government has moved with excessive speed to ensure the new bill is passed into law, said Babu Ram Pant, Amnesty International’s Deputy Regional Director for South Asia.

The law expands the authorities' power to restrict or ban gatherings in Islamabad on broad grounds, including disruption of daily activities, and significantly increases the maximum penalty for participating in an unlawful assembly from six months to three years in prison, Pant said.

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