Thousands arrested at Khan protests as Pakistan capital put under police lockdown

Pakistani authorities arrested more than 4,000 supporters of Imran Khan, including five parliamentarians, ahead of a rally demanding the release of the former prime minister from prison, where he has been held for over a year.

- MAROOSHA MUZAFFAR

Islamabad was yesterday under lockdown, roads were blocked and mobile data was suspended in certain areas. Clashes between members of Mr Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party and the police occurred near Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, local reports said. The government claimed the measures were for public safety, while PTI insisted the arrests and restrictions were politically motivated.

Yesterday, clashes between PTI workers and police continued, with police reporting stone-pelting that hospitalised 14 officers, while PTI accused police of using teargas and batons. Dozens of protesters, including four in Islamabad’s D-Chowk, were arrested yesterday. Interior minister Mohsin Naqvi had warned earlier that anyone entering the large town square would be detained.