More than 100 supporters of former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan were arrested on Thursday as protests organised by his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party marked three years since his imprisonment. Demonstrations were held in several cities, including Lahore, Rawalpindi and Mianwali, where police dispersed protesters and detained party workers. According to PTI and local media reports, some journalists covering the rallies were also allegedly assaulted during the crackdown.

At the party's main gathering in Peshawar, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Suhail Afridi announced that PTI would organise a march to Islamabad on September 27 if its demands were not addressed. He said the party had exhausted legal and judicial avenues and would now exercise its constitutional right to peaceful protest. PTI is seeking expedited hearings in the cases against Imran Khan and his wife, Bushra Bibi, along with the restoration of their access to lawyers, doctors, family members and party leaders.

Imran Khan has remained in prison since August 5, 2023, and is facing multiple criminal cases. PTI has consistently maintained that the cases are politically motivated and intended to sideline the former prime minister, allegations that have been rejected by the government of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. The government maintains that the legal proceedings are being conducted in accordance with the law.

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Separately, Khan's sons, Kasim Khan and Sulaiman Isa Khan, told CNN from London that they had not been able to communicate with their father for the past seven months. They expressed concern over his health and alleged that family members, lawyers and doctors had been denied access to him. The brothers also claimed that administrative hurdles had complicated their efforts to travel to Pakistan to meet their father.

Pakistan's Ministry of Information rejected those allegations, stating that both sons possess National Identity Cards for Overseas Pakistanis and therefore do not require visas to enter the country. The ministry described their claims as misleading and said Khan's access to legal counsel and family had not been abolished but was being regulated in accordance with prison rules and court directives. It also stated that Khan remains in stable health, receives regular medical care and is housed in a dedicated prison facility. Meanwhile, Amnesty International called on Pakistani authorities to restore access to family members, lawyers and medical treatment for both Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi, while PTI has vowed to continue nationwide protests, including its planned march to Islamabad later this month.

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