• Tear gas and batons used against protesters, including women in Karachi
• Opposition party workers protest Imran’s detention, demand constitutional supremacy
• Police say PTI workers were ‘not peaceful’

KARACHI: Dozens of activists of the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf were picked up in Karachi and other cities of Sindh as law enforcers broke up rallies staged by the opposition party in protest against continued detention of party founder Imran Khan.

While police are yet to give an official number of those taken into custody from rallies, a PTI spokesperson claimed that the law enforcers detained more than 200 workers across the province.

“Despite the peaceful nature of our protests, police across Sindh resorted to violent crackdowns, using batons, tear gas, and mass detentions to break up the demonstrators. Several workers were injured, and over 200 PTI workers and leaders were arrested,” the spokesperson added.

He said that PTI workers, including women, staged rallies and held demonstrations in Karachi, Hyderabad, Larkana, Sukkur, Ghotki, Daharki, Mirpur Mathelo, Ubauro, Kandhkot, Pano Aqil, Qambar, Shahdadkot, Sanghar, Thatta, Sujawal, Nawabshah, Umerkot, Shahdadpur, Kashmore, Badin, Matiari and other cities and demanded immediate release of Imran Khan and restoration of constitutional supremacy.

A top-ranking police officer, who wished not to be named, confirmed to Dawn that the police took action and arrested “many PTI workers who were not peaceful”.

He said cases would be registered against the held workers for rioting, etc.

In Karachi, a large number of PTI workers converged on Hasan Square, from where they started marching to the Mazar-i-Quaid. However, when they reached near Jail Chowrangi, a heavy police contingent attempted to disperse the crowd using batons and tear gas.

A PTI spokesperson alleged that around 25-30 workers, including women, were injured who took shelter in nearby homes where the residents provided them first aid. Around 15-20 participants were arrested, the spokesperson added.

He said similar actions were also taken by law enforcers in other parts of Sindh with over “200 workers” having been arrested.

Justifying the action, the police said the protesters had no permission for the rally, and “blocking” of roads created a law and order situation.

Additional IGP of Karachi Javed Alam Odho told Dawn that when protests took place against power shortages, the law enforcers took action over the road blockade and violence.

Without going into details of the police action, he said “the [PTI] rally was taken without permission from the authorities concerned. They blocked the road and created a law and order situation, necessitating police action”.

However, the PTI spokesperson told Dawn that when other parties like PPP, MQM-P and JI took out rallies, they did not take any permission and wondered as to why such discriminatory attitude was meted out to the PTI.

He said they did not block University Road, instead they only took out a rally at one side of the road.

Meanwhile, speaking to the rally participants, PTI’s Sindh president Haleem Adil Sheikh condemned the arrests of workers, saying that more than 200 PTI activists had been picked up and taken to undisclosed locations.

“These unjustified arrests prove that this is not a democracy, but a dictatorship, who is afraid of PTI’s growing public support.”

He said that Imran Khan’s two-year “unjust and politically motivated” imprisonment had exposed the state of the justice system in Pakistan.

“Fake cases have been filed against our leader and his wife Bushra Bibi has also been targeted as part of a revenge campaign,” he said. “Many PTI leaders have been sentenced without trial, and thousands of workers remain imprisoned.”

Published in Dawn, August 6th, 2025