PTI Protests Spread Across Cities Despite Islamabad Ban

Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf workers staged protest demonstrations in multiple cities on Friday, with the party’s Islamabad chapter holding a gathering in the federal capital despite Section 144 restrictions on public assemblies. The protests were part of a wider call by PTI and the Tehreek Tahaffuz Ayeen-i-Pakistan against Imran Khan’s imprisonment, inflation and other political concerns.

In Islamabad, the demonstration was held on Lehtrar Road near Taramri Chowk and was organised under the party’s local leadership. PTI Islamabad President Aamir Mughal directed the mobilisation, while General Secretary Malik Aamir Ali led the protest alongside senior party office-bearers, women’s wing members, youth representatives and student activists.

The protestors demanded the release of the PTI founder, access to proper medical treatment for him and stronger action against rising inflation. They also raised concerns over deteriorating law and order, recent petroleum price increases and what the party described as weakening rule of law in the country.

Aamir Mughal told Dawn that party workers knew law enforcement agencies had made strict arrangements to stop protests in the federal capital, but argued that the demonstration was necessary because of the party’s position on Imran Khan’s imprisonment and public pressure caused by inflation. He warned that PTI could move toward a larger agitation campaign after Eid if its demands were not addressed.

The protests were not limited to Islamabad. In Peshawar, PTI supporters gathered at the press club, where party leader Shandana Gulzar said the movement’s central demand was the release of Imran Khan and an end to violence affecting civilians in tribal areas of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Gulzar alleged that civilians, including women and children, were being harmed in incidents linked to drone strikes and bomb blasts. She also criticised the federal and Punjab governments, accusing them of economic mismanagement, political victimisation and withholding Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s due share of gas, electricity and other resources.

In Lahore, the Punjab chapter of TTAP held a demonstration outside the Lahore Press Club in support of Imran Khan and other political prisoners. The gathering included PTI figures, Haqooq-i-Khalq Party representatives and other political and social activists who demanded immediate and unconditional release of detained political leaders.

Participants in Lahore also condemned what they described as increasing political pressure in Punjab, pointing to heavy police deployment and alleged raids on activists’ homes before the protest. Their claims added another layer to the opposition’s wider narrative that political space is being restricted across the province.

The demonstrations reflect PTI’s renewed effort to revive street-level political activity ahead of Eid, while authorities remain focused on maintaining public order in major cities. The next phase will depend on whether the government responds to the party’s demands or whether PTI escalates its campaign after the holiday period.