PTI activists arrested for holding rally in support of Imran Khan

KARACHI: Police here on Sunday swooped on activists of PTI after they reached Numaish Chowrangi in in a bike rally to express solidarity with their incarcerated leader and former prime minister Imran Khan.

Soldier Bazaar Station House Officer (SHO) Pir Shabbir Haider confirmed that police had detained 20-25 people from the spot just to disperse them to avoid traffic congestion in the busy area. The PTI leadership in Karachi had given the call for the rally on Saturday as part of a larger countrywide event.

“Solidarity rally with Imran Khan, who is currently facing unjust treatment in Attock jail. It is disheartening to see his fundamental rights being violated, with the jail manual not being implemented in his case. We invite all Karachites to stand together and raise [their] voice for Khan,” Khurram Sher Zaman, president of the PTI’s Karachi chapter, had posted on X (formerly Twitter) a day ago.

Party leaders, meanwhile, condemned police action against the participants of the rally and said they had not violated any law but were holding a peaceful rally.

As several PTI members reached Nursery on motorcycles to express solidarity with their leader today, police detained some of them, said the PTI’s spokesperson in Karachi Falak Almas, adding police also resorted to baton-charge.

“However, the party workers remained undeterred despite police action and reached the Quaid’s Mausoleum near Numaish Chowrangi,” she said, adding that some of the members were taken into police custody from there as well. Almas put the number of detained party workers at 30-35. Meanwhile, Zaman claimed police had detained over 140 workers since last night and from the rally.