On the Eve of His Imprisonment Anniversary, Pakistan Arrests 120 Supporters of Imran Khan

Pakistani authorities have launched a crackdown on supporters of Imran Khan.

Security officials stated that Pakistani police arrested 120 activists from the main opposition party during overnight raids ahead of protests scheduled for Tuesday, marking the second anniversary of party leader Imran Khan’s imprisonment.

Two police officers told Reuters that most of the arrests occurred in the eastern city of Lahore, where Khan’s party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), had pledged to hold its largest demonstration, along with protests in other regions.

Party spokesperson Zulfi Bukhari said that police had arrested at least 200 activists in Lahore, adding that the demonstrations would proceed as planned.

Lahore is the capital of Punjab province in eastern Pakistan — the country’s most politically significant region, home to half of the province’s population.

The Punjab government and provincial police did not respond to Reuters’ requests for comment on Tuesday.

In a statement released on Monday, police said large units had been deployed to provide security in all major cities across the province.

In a message attributed to Khan and shared Monday via the party’s account on the social platform X, the former prime minister urged his supporters to “take to the streets and organize peaceful protests until true democracy is restored in the country.”