Pakistan police arrest lawmakers, leaders from former PM Imran Khan’s party

The raids in Islamabad come after major protests in the capital calling for Khan’s release from jail.

Police in Pakistan have arrested several lawmakers and leaders from former Prime Minister Imran Khan’s party in a series of raids in Islamabad, according to party officials and authorities.

A police spokesperson said on Tuesday four people were arrested, however, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) put the number at 13, saying they were picked up from various locations in the capital, Islamabad, including some from outside parliament.

The raids follow a big PTI rally on Sunday to demand the 71-year-old cricketer-turned-politician’s release from jail, where he has been for more than a year.

The crackdown started late on Monday, with PTI president Gohar Khan taken into custody.

Khan was removed as prime minister in 2022 after a falling-out with military generals, who mostly decide who will rule the nation of 241 million.

Media footage showed police pushing the lawmakers into vehicles in detentions outside parliament that Omar Ayub Khan, the leader of the opposition, called “despicable”.

“Yesterday’s massive protest has sent shivers down the government’s spine,” Khan’s aide, Zulfikar Bukhari, said in a post on X, calling the detentions illegal.

Others held were senior leaders Shoaib Shaheen and Sher Afzal Marwat, added Bukhari, who is also a PTI spokesman.

In February, candidates backed by the PTI won the most seats in a general election. Still, they fell short of the majority required to form a government.

His rivals cobbled together a coalition instead to set up a ruling alliance led by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.

The rally to demand Khan’s release was marred by clashes between supporters and police that injured a