Intense Protests Across Pakistan Demanding Imran Khan's Release

As Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) carries out a pan-Pakistan protest today demanding the release of jailed former PM and party chief Imran Khan, his two sons - Qasim and Sulaiman - are missing from the campaign. Reports suggest that the reason is a major lapse on their part.

Both Qasim and Sulaiman were holders of Pakistan’s National Identity Card for Overseas Pakistanis (NICOP), but according to Imran Khan’s sister Aleema Khan, one of them lost the card while the other’s had expired. As a result, they are now barred from participating in any political activity or protest inside Pakistan. Aleema Khan revealed that both sons have reapplied for their NICOPs, but the outcome remains uncertain. “Let’s see what happens,” she said.

Meanwhile, Pakistan’s Minister of State for Interior, Talal Chaudhry, told reporters that he is unaware of where the two have applied for fresh cards. “If they’ve submitted applications through the embassy, the verification process will follow,” he said, adding that the matter of their visas and other legal clearances lies solely with the Pakistani diplomatic mission.

PTI held coordinated rallies across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province on Tuesday to demand the release of jailed ex-premier Imran Khan but were unable to convene in the capital and other key regions due to arrests of supporters and restrictions on public gatherings.

The rallies mark the second anniversary of Khan’s arrest and come amid a 90-day “do or die” protest campaign the party launched in mid-July. The PTI leadership has pledged peaceful but sustained mobilization against what it calls politically motivated cases against Khan and other party leaders.

Ahead of Tuesday’s rallies, at least 120 PTI supporters and leaders were arrested in raids overnight, security officials confirmed to Reuters. Most of the detentions, made on Monday night and early on Tuesday, were in the eastern city of Lahore where the PTI had vowed its biggest demonstration, as well as protests elsewhere.