Lahore: More than 100 supporters of jailed former prime minister Imran Khan were arrested on Wednesday as rallies were held across Pakistan to mark the completion of three years of his imprisonment, with police cracking down on protesters in Punjab and Sindh provinces.
The main rally was held in Peshawar, the capital of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, where Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) party is in power.
In Punjab, police baton-charged protesters and arrested scores of PTI workers in Lahore, Mianwali and Rawalpindi.
In Lahore's Mall Road, police dispersed protesters demanding Khan's release and detained several demonstrators.
Video footage circulated on social media showed riot police using force against the protesters. Some journalists covering the rally were also thrashed by police, prompting protests from media bodies.
PTI Punjab general secretary Chaudhry Bilal Ejaz said five party lawmakers were among 25 others arrested in Lahore.
"Despite this era of oppression, repression, and fascism, a large number of PTI workers and office-bearers in Punjab staged protest rallies and pledged to stand with Imran Khan," he said.
According to PTI, at least 50 of its workers were arrested in Mianwali, Rawalpindi and other parts of Punjab.
In Karachi, police used tear gas to disperse PTI supporters protesting in the city's Saddar Town area and arrested more than 10 demonstrators. The party also claimed that six workers were arrested in Pano Aqil and 15 in Kandhkot.
Aleema Khan, sister of the deposed prime minister, said the movement for his brother's release has already begun, and its next phase will be announced soon.
PTI senior leader and former federal minister Moonis Elahi alleged that Khan "has been denied meetings and proper medical treatment, and his eyesight has also deteriorated" in prison.
Another PTI leader, Sheryar Afridi, said: "They (establishment) may have taken away his freedom, but they could never break his resolve. They may have denied him comfort, but they could never diminish his courage. The nation stands with Kaptaan Imran Khan."
Khan, who was arrested on August 5, 2023, has remained in prison while facing multiple cases. His party has repeatedly alleged that the cases against him are politically motivated, a charge denied by the Shehbaz Sharif-led Pakistani government.
Meanwhile, Amnesty International urged the Pakistani authorities to uphold the rights of the 73-year-old cricketer-turned-politician.
"For three years, Pakistan's authorities have systematically denied Imran Khan the right to a fair trial, subjected him to prolonged solitary confinement, and limited his access to medical care and visitation rights," Acting Regional Director for South Asia Isabelle Lassee said.
She also said Khan had not been allowed to meet his family for more than eight months and that both he and his wife, Bushra Bibi, had been denied regular access to legal counsel since December 2025.
