PESHAWAR: The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) opposition party on Tuesday held coordinated rallies across the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province to demand the release of jailed ex-premier Imran Khan but failed to mobilize masses in the capital Islamabad and other key regions, with more than 200 arrested for violating restrictions on public gatherings.
The rallies marked the second anniversary of Khan’s arrest and came amid a 90-day “do or die” protest campaign the party launched in mid-July. The PTI leadership has pledged peaceful but sustained mobilization against what it calls politically motivated cases against Khan and other party leaders.
Police arrested more than 240 opposition party activists at the protests calling for the release of Khan, security and police officials told Reuters. Most of the detentions were made on Monday night and early Tuesday in the eastern city of Lahore, where the PTI had promised its biggest demonstration.
KP, a province the PTI has ruled since 2018, saw widespread mobilization on Tuesday. District-level convoys converged on motorway interchanges and city centers across the province, but there was no clue of Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur, who was to supposed to lead the main gathering in Peshawar.
