Several PTI leaders and supporters, including the party’s Sindh chapter General Secretary Dr Masroor Sial, were arrested after a protest near Fawara Chowk on Abdullah Haroon Road in Karachi (Geo News).
Clashes erupted when supporters gathered at Fawara Chowk to demand the release of the jailed party founder. Police baton-charged the protesters and fired tear gas shells to disperse them; PTI activists pelted police with stones.
A severe traffic jam followed around Governor House, the Metropole Hotel and Shaheen Complex, causing major disruption for commuters, while shops in the surrounding areas remained closed.
PTI Sindh chapter President Haleem Adil Sheikh condemned the detentions. “Sindh police took action against democratic values,” he said.
Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah took notice of the traffic disruption and directed the inspector general of police and the additional inspector general to restore traffic flow immediately, ordering additional traffic police onto the city’s main arteries and instructing the DIG traffic to monitor the situation personally, according to a statement from his spokesperson.
The party organised countrywide protests to mark three years since Khan’s imprisonment and to demand his release. Khan has been in jail since August 2023 and faces multiple cases ranging from corruption to terrorism, following his removal from office through an opposition no-confidence motion in April 2022.
The release campaign gained momentum earlier this year after Khan was diagnosed with central retinal vein occlusion, a serious eye condition. He has been taken from Rawalpindi’s Adiala Jail to the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences in Islamabad on multiple occasions for treatment of his right eye. A PTI request to move him to Shifa International Hospital for specialised treatment was refused after the Islamabad High Court dismissed a petition filed by his lawyers.
The total number of those arrested and the charges against them have not been announced.
