Thousands of supporters of Pakistan’s imprisoned former Prime Minister Imran Khan have rallied on the outskirts of the capital, Islamabad, demanding his release. Khan has been embroiled in more than 150 police cases since he was ousted from power in 2022 through a no-confidence vote in parliament and has been in prison for more than a year. Khan, the main rival of current Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, remains a popular figure despite these cases, which critics and his party say are politically motivated. Sunday’s rally was held peacefully, though police briefly clashed with some activists of Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf opposition party, or PTI.
