Thousands Rally in Islamabad for Imran Khan's Release

Thousands of people have taken to the streets in the Pakistani capital, demanding the release of former Prime Minister Imran Khan, who has been behind bars for more than a year on what his party calls are politically motivated charges.

Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party organized the rally in Islamabad, marking its first show of strength since the disputed national and regional elections in February.

Images and videos posted on the social media platform X showed Khan’s supporters marching towards the capital from various parts of the country.

“We will not rest until Khan is released from jail,” said Khan’s close aide Hammad Azhar in the opening speech that set the tone of the rally.

Khan is the only person who can save this country from the “clutches of corrupt and incompetent politicians”, said Salman Akram Raja, a prominent lawyer and PTI leader from Lahore.

The Islamabad administration had blocked key entry points into the city, with shipping containers and riot police deployed to prevent possible unrest. Social media videos showed dozens of PTI activists successfully pushing away containers to clear the way at one of the entry points.

PTI said the authorities were harassing workers to suppress attendance at the rally. Visuals aired on local broadcaster Samaa News showed enraged attendees throwing rocks at riot police, who also hurled tear gas shells to disperse the protesters.

A spokesman for the Islamabad police, in a statement, in turn accused the protesters of pelting police personnel with stones, injuring many of them, including a senior official.

Khan, a former cricket star, was ousted from office through a no-trust vote in April 2022.

He has been in jail since August 2023 and is facing trial for allegedly inciting violence on May 9 of that year – the day when his supporters went on a rampage and attacked military installations.