Thousands demonstrate in Pakistan's capital for the release of former Prime Minister Khan

KARACHI, Pakistan

Thousands of people gathered on the outskirts of Pakistan's capital Islamabad on Sunday to demand the release of the country's jailed former prime minister, Imran Khan.

Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) managed to hold a major rally in Islamabad for the first time since May 2023, as the government had repeatedly denied the party permission to organize public gatherings in the capital despite court orders.

Wearing tricolour caps and waving party flags, the protesters chanted slogans such as “Long live Imran Khan”, “Free Imran Khan”, “Election rigging unacceptable” and so on as the rally began on an uneven and swampy terrain on the northern outskirts of the capital.

The PTI has called the February parliamentary elections “rigged” and claimed that it actually won two-thirds of the constituencies. The country's highest electoral body, the Election Commission of Pakistan, rejects this allegation.

There were also reports of clashes between the attacked protesters and the police.

An Islamabad police spokesman accused the protesters in a statement of throwing stones at police officers, injuring many of them, including a senior officer.

Images from local broadcaster Samaa News showed the angry activists throwing stones at riot police, who in turn used tear gas grenades to disperse the protesters.

The clashes continued until the last reports came in.

Earlier, police had blocked several entrances to the capital with containers and barricades. According to PTI, this was an attempt to prevent party workers from attending the rally.

The government, in turn, claimed that the action was part of a security plan to maintain order.

Other footage showed dozens of party activists successfully pushing aside containers to clear the way at one of the entry points into Islamabad.

Several video clips posted on PTI's official X-account also showed several convoys heading to the meeting venue from different parts of northeastern Punjab and northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.

“God willing, we will soon achieve our goal of securing the release of Imran Khan,” said Ali Mohammad Khan, party leader and MP, in his address at the rally.

He called for Khan's “immediate” release and said the party would continue its fight for “true” democracy in the country.

Khan, 72, is currently in a prison in the northeastern garrison city of Rawalpindi, seeking bail on several charges ranging from corruption to terrorism. He denies the charges.

The courts have already overturned his two convictions and suspended a third.

The former cricket star was ousted in a vote of no confidence in April 2022.

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