ISLAMABAD/LAHORE: Amid mounting political tensions and claims of a government-led crackdown, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) is set to launch a protest movement today calling for the release of its imprisoned founder Imran Khan and other party leaders. The party has declared that this campaign will persist until the current government is removed, insisting it does not represent the will of the people.
PTI senior leader Asad Qaiser emphasized that while August 5 marks the beginning of the protest, it should not be seen as the party’s “final call”. He explained that PTI’s provincial units have been directed to organize rallies, public outreach activities, and other demonstrations nationwide.
According to him, the movement aims to restore the right of the people to be represented by their elected leaders. The date of the protest also coincides with the second anniversary of Imran Khan’s imprisonment in a high-profile corruption case.
Qaiser claimed that PTI would involve all sections of society in the movement, asserting that the party has long championed the rights of the people. He also alleged that authorities had already begun targeting PTI supporters and lawmakers.
Reports of raids, arrests, and the imposition of Section 144 in parts of Punjab and Kashmir were cited as evidence of attempts to suppress dissent. The actual number of arrested individuals is still being compiled.
In a press conference, PTI Punjab’s media head Shayan Bashir, accompanied by Senator Ali Zafar, stated that around 200 police raids had been carried out. He claimed that while many arrested party workers were later released, they were allegedly coerced into signing affidavits.
Bashir said the party would demonstrate its strength through large rallies in Lahore, outside Rawalpindi’s Adiala Jail, and in other areas of Punjab, continuing the campaign with full momentum. He also noted that workers from different regions had already gathered in Lahore.
Senator Zafar added a nuanced note about possible talks, stating that although Imran Khan had closed the door to dialogue, politics remained fluid and subject to change. He reiterated Khan’s message that he was prepared to remain imprisoned for ten years if it meant defending the constitution and the rule of law. Zafar added that Khan would never bow to pressure tactics, fake charges, or judicial delays.
Highlighting the legal aspect, Zafar claimed the government was primarily banking on four cases against Khan — Toshakhana-I, the cipher case, the Iddat case, and the Al-Qadir Trust case.
According to him, all but the last case had effectively collapsed in higher courts, with convictions from jail trials being swiftly suspended. The Al-Qadir Trust case, he claimed, was being deliberately stalled to prolong Khan’s detention.
Zafar also alleged that the former prime minister was enduring harsh human rights violations and that the authorities were trying to break him and his wife through various forms of pressure. He warned that the government’s effort to exclude Khan from the political process would ultimately fail. Regarding the upcoming by-elections, Zafar asserted that they were unconstitutional without the Supreme Court’s affirmation of disqualifications and said PTI would challenge the process in court.
Meanwhile, Punjab Information Minister Azma Bokhari dismissed the PTI’s protest movement as an attempt to sow chaos. In a press conference in Lahore, she claimed the public would reject the August 5 protest.
She accused the PTI of transforming into a fascist organization aiming to destabilize state institutions and fracture national unity. Bokhari criticized Imran Khan for what she described as double standards, pointing to past foreign funding controversies and alleged appeals to foreign powers. She also condemned the reported return of Khan’s sons to participate in the protest.
Bokhari said it was unfortunate that PTI chose August 5 — a day marked for national solidarity with the people of Kashmir — to launch its protest movement. She called the timing deeply inappropriate and politically motivated, reiterating the government’s view that the PTI’s campaign undermines national interests.
