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.

• Judicial Escalation: Imran Khan’s Party Faces Potential Ban in Pakistan

• Demonstrations in support of Imran Khan in Qatar threaten to cause chaos

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.

• Imran Khan, overthrown by a motion of censure, former PM: foreign conspiracy

• India-Pakistan Escalation: China Offers Mediation.. US Secures Its Diplomatic Mission

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.”

• The UAE announces Nawaz Sharif’s victory in the Pakistani elections

• India and Pakistan: Worst Escalation in Three Decades (Timeline)

• Dozens Killed in Indian Airstrikes on Pakistan Amid Fears of All-Out War

• New Terrorist Attack in Pakistan: Casualties and Injuries

• Tehran refuses cooperation… Pakistan accuses Iran of harboring terrorist groups 

• Afghanistan on the agenda… Pakistani Prime Minister to visit Saudi Arabia next week