On August 5, 2025, Lahore police detained more than 30 Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) activists as protests broke out across the country to mark the second anniversary of former Prime Minister Imran Khan’s imprisonment. The protests, seen as the beginning of a larger nationwide movement, were in response to Imran Khan’s call to “restore democracy in its true spirit.” Imran Khan, who has been jailed since August 5, 2023, is serving a sentence in the £190 million corruption case and also faces terrorism-related charges from the May 9 riots.
According to Lahore Deputy Inspector General (Operations) Faisal Kamran, the arrested PTI workers were attempting to block roads across different areas of the city. He rejected claims that hundreds were arrested, saying that just over 30 were taken into custody to prevent disruption of public order.
Among those detained was senior PTI leader Rehana Dar, who was shown in viral footage being dragged into a police van by officers in riot gear. Dar had previously contested the 2024 general elections in Sialkot against PML-N’s Defence Minister Khawaja Asif. PTI’s official X (formerly Twitter) account condemned the act, accusing Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz and Punjab IG Dr. Usman Anwar of abusing state power.
Elsewhere in Lahore, Reuters images captured several individuals being detained, while reports from PTI’s Insaf Youth Wing President Raja Shahbaz Bhatti suggested he was injured during a police crackdown. The PTI also shared images and videos of protests in Bahawalpur, Kohlu, Peshawar, Mansehra, and Swabi, claiming peaceful demonstrations were met with force, arrests, and damage to vehicles.
In Multan, PTI accused the police of attacking their rally, posting visuals of shattered car windows and damaged vehicles. The PTI Punjab media cell also alleged that over 200 raids were carried out in Punjab and Kashmir, with party workers reportedly forced to sign affidavits before being released.
Amid the crackdown, PTI Secretary General Salman Akram Raja and Tehreek Tahafuz Ayin-i-Pakistan (TTAP) chief Mahmood Achakzai departed for Adiala Jail, where Imran Khan is imprisoned. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur is also expected to lead a major rally in Peshawar. PTI convoys were seen moving from Peshawar and Mansehra toward Swabi, where another mass protest is planned.
Former PTI leaders Asad Umar and Fawad Chaudhry, despite distancing themselves from the party post-May 9 riots, voiced support for Imran Khan’s release. Umar stressed that the public has rejected the anti-Khan narrative and called for national reconciliation involving PTI. Chaudhry, echoing similar sentiments, claimed Imran’s imprisonment was “for the sake of democracy and the people’s sovereignty.”
As protests continue to ripple across cities, the political tension surrounding Imran Khan’s imprisonment and PTI’s role in Pakistan’s democratic future appears far from over. The growing frustration among supporters and civil society indicates a long, heated political season ahead, with calls intensifying for dialogue and constitutional resolution.
