Pakistan Blocks PTI Rally Marking Three Years of Imran Khan's Imprisonment

Pakistan's Punjab government has denied Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) permission to hold a rally in Lahore on August 5, the day marking three years since former prime minister Imran Khan was imprisoned, prompting the opposition party to announce legal action while vowing to press ahead with a nationwide protest campaign.

PTI Secretary General Salman Akram Raja said the Lahore deputy commissioner's failure to respond to the party's application effectively amounted to a rejection. He announced that the PTI would challenge the decision in the Lahore High Court and insisted the rally would still be held.

"The Lahore deputy commissioner has not responded to our request for permission to hold a peaceful gathering. It amounts to rejection of our plea," Raja told a press conference.

The August 5 mobilisation is part of PTI's nationwide "Free Imran Khan" campaign, which seeks Khan's release and aims to intensify public protests across Pakistan. Party leaders have called on supporters to participate in rallies and demonstrations despite administrative restrictions.

Raja alleged that Imran Khan is being kept in solitary confinement at Adiala Jail and denied regular access to his lawyers and family. Khan, the former cricket captain turned politician, was arrested on August 5, 2023, after being convicted in the Toshakhana corruption case. Although that conviction was later followed by several other cases, PTI maintains the prosecutions are politically motivated.

Every week, Khan's sisters, lawyers and supporters gather outside Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi, demanding permission to meet him.

During the press conference, PTI leaders also expressed solidarity with people in Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK), claiming more than 100 people had been killed in recent unrest linked to protests over the allocation of 12 refugee reserved assembly seats. Elections for 45 directly elected seats in the 53 member PoK Legislative Assembly began on Monday amid heightened security following weeks of political unrest and deadly clashes. Polling is being held in three phases and will conclude on August 10.

Expanding its criticism beyond Khan's imprisonment, PTI accused the government of worsening Pakistan's economic crisis, alleging soaring fuel prices, inflation, wheat shortages and poor governance. Raja claimed millions of tonnes of wheat had disappeared because of official negligence and urged citizens to join the August 5 protest movement.

A Punjab government official defended the decision, saying the provincial administration has a standing policy of refusing permission for PTI protests, alleging that the party's workers have previously violated the law during demonstrations.