Islamabad police have arrested four activists of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), jailing them on charges including attempted murder, rioting and obstruction of public servants, as authorities step up efforts to pre-empt a nationwide protest the party has called for September 27. The PTI is demanding the release of its founder and former prime minister Imran Khan, who has been in custody since 2023, and is calling supporters to march on the capital. Opposition leaders allied with the PTI have insisted the march cannot be called off without a direct meeting with Khan himself, while Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi has vowed to block any march on Islamabad "in every possible way."
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Monday, 12 October 2026
Pakistan detains PTI activists ahead of September 27 protest march to Islamabad[Updated]
Sunday, 20 September 2026, 06:26 · 1 min read
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PTI lawyer Awais Younas Chaudhry told Dawn that other family members, not the detained sisters, would attempt to visit Khan at Adiala jail on Tuesday to demonstrate to the Islamabad High Court that its orders permitting twice-weekly meetings with family, lawyers and associates are not being honoured. The IHC had authorised two visits per week — on Tuesdays and Thursdays — while the Supreme Court separately directed authorities on August 18 to allow family meetings and ordered a medical checkup for Khan at Islamabad's Shifa International Hospital. The last confirmed family visit was by Noreen Niazi on August 25, following which no further meetings have been permitted.
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Authorities have dramatically widened their crackdown on PTI's inner circle, detaining Imran Khan's three sisters — Aleema Khan, Dr Uzma Khan and Noreen Niazi — all for 30 days under the Punjab Maintenance of Public Order Ordinance, with Noreen and Uzma ordered to Kot Lakhpat jail in Lahore. Officials allege the sisters were involved in the May 9 protests and have since been mobilising supporters through social media and public gatherings ahead of the September 27 march. Meanwhile, security preparations have escalated sharply, with more than 22,000 personnel set to be deployed in Islamabad and over 30,000 in Attock district alone, as authorities move to seal 30 entry points to the capital — including 11 in Rawalpindi — using seized shipping containers. The PTI march will coincide with separate planned demonstrations by Jamaat-i-Islami, protesting petroleum levies, and Kissan Ittehad, which is demanding relief for farmers.
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