Pakistan bans gatherings over Imran Khan party’s protest threat

Pakistan federal authorities have outlawed all sorts of public gatherings in the capital region for two months ahead of a planned protest by jailed former prime minister Imran Khan’s party.

Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) last week announced to protest in Islamabad on November 24 to force the government to release its jailed founding leader, incarcerated for more than a year.

The federal government retaliated by imposing Section 144 in Islamabad, a colonial era law that prohibits public assemblies.

Meanwhile, according to Khan’s party, the Punjab police have started raiding the houses of party legislators, leaders, office-bearers and workers and misbehaving with their families besides ransacking their household items.

“So far, the police have detained over 200 supporters during raids in Lahore and other parts of Punjab,” a senior leader of Khan's party from Punjab said on Tuesday.

The PTI says the fascist government will not be able to stop people from marching on the federal capital. In a post on X on Tuesday, Khan said: “Death is better than a life of slavery. I ...only called on people associated with PTI to protest.”