PTI Condemns Crackdown on Peaceful Protests

Download IPFS

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) denounces the government’s brutal crackdown on peaceful protests, alleging mass arrests and state terror to suppress dissent.

On August 5, 2025, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party fiercely criticized the federal government, labeling it a “hybrid regime,” for its aggressive response to nationwide protests marking the two-year detention of PTI founder and former Prime Minister Imran Khan. In a statement, PTI Central Information Secretary Sheikh Waqas Akram condemned the deployment of what he called “Gullu Butts”, a term referring to hired enforcers, against peaceful demonstrators, accusing authorities of turning Punjab into a “lawless zone” where constitutional rights are trampled. The protests, held across Pakistan, demanded Khan’s release from Adiala Jail, where he has been held since August 5, 2023, on charges PTI claims are fabricated and politically motivated.

Akram praised the courage of thousands who rallied despite heavy police action, including tear gas, baton charges, and mass arrests. Over 150 PTI activists, including six Members of the Provincial Assembly (MPAs) from Punjab, were detained, with reports of police raiding homes without warrants. Video footage of 80-year-old PTI leader Rehana Dar’s arrest sparked outrage, with Akram calling it a “disgraceful” act of state brutality. The government imposed Section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC), banning public gatherings in Islamabad and Rawalpindi from August 5 to 10, and deployed 4,000 security personnel around Adiala Jail to block access.

PTI also slammed the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) for disqualifying nine lawmakers, including Opposition Leaders Omar Ayub Khan and Senator Shibli Faraz, over convictions tied to the May 9, 2023, riots, which Akram labeled a “false flag” operation to undermine democracy. He challenged the government to lift restrictions and allow protests to prove its legitimacy, mocking the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) for a failed rally in Lahore that drew minimal support.

The crackdown follows a pattern of state repression, with Amnesty International previously condemning similar actions against PTI protests in November 2024, citing excessive force and mass detentions. PTI vowed to continue its fight for democracy, with Akram asserting that the movement would persist until Khan’s release and the restoration of constitutional supremacy, framing the protests as a national stand against tyranny.