Pakistani police arrested Monday several top leaders from former imprisoned Prime Minister Imran Khan's opposition party, a day after some people clashed with the police a mile from a protest calling for his release.
Among the detainees was the president of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party, Gohar Khan, who is not related to the former premier. Videos circulating online showed police taking the party head out of his vehicle before whisking him away to a police station. The PTI said in a statement other top party officials were arrested in multiple ongoing raids but didn't disclose how many were detained.
Tens of thousands of supporters of the ex-prime minister, who was ousted in a no-confidence vote in 2022 and whose arrest caused widespread violence, took to the streets Sunday demanding his release. The mostly peaceful event witnessed violence after some clashed with the police on a highway, a mile from the town of Sanjrani, on the outskirts of the capital, Islamabad, where the protest took place.
Khan faces a slew of legal cases and has been in prison for nearly a year after being sentenced in a graft case. He is the main rival of current Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and remains a popular figure despite these cases, which critics and his party say are politically motivated.
the party leaders were arrested because they “took a firm stance,” demanding the popular politician's release.....threatening to forcefully free Khan from prison if he is not released in the next two weeks.
Basdically one of the leaders of the conservative side of Pakistani govt