Pakistan’s Opposition Alliance Calls for Nationwide Protest on July 26

Islamabad: The Tehreek Tahafuz Ayeen-e-Pakistan (Movement to Protect the Constitution of Pakistan), a six-party opposition alliance, has announced a nationwide protest on July 26, demanding the release of former Prime Minister Imran Khan and other “political prisoners.”

Imran Khan, who served as prime minister from 2018 to 2022, has been imprisoned since last August on multiple charges. Although two cases have been suspended and he was acquitted in a third, he remains incarcerated. Recently, Khan and his wife, Bushra Bibi, were arrested over allegations of illegally selling state gifts but were ordered to be released after their appeals were accepted.

Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party claims it is facing a crackdown and mass arrests of its members for supporting Khan, allegations denied by Pakistani authorities. The opposition alliance, including PTI, the Pashtunkhwa Milli Awami Party, Balochistan National Party (Mengal), and three religious parties—Jamaat-e-Islami, Sunni Ittehad Council, and Majlis Wahdat-e-Muslimeen—issued a press release stating their intention to protest for the release of political prisoners and reclaim what they call a “stolen mandate.”

The alliance has also called for the formation of an independent judicial commission to investigate a recent shooting at a rally in Bannu, which resulted in fatalities and injuries. At least two people were killed and over 20 were injured when gunfire triggered a stampede during the procession, which was attended by tens of thousands in the northwestern city.

The alliance demands that the judicial commission be headed by a serving judge, free from external pressure, to ensure a transparent investigation into the Bannu incident. They criticized senior police and provincial administration officials, stating that they had “miserably failed in restoring peace in the province” and called for their dismissal.

The Bannu incident occurred amid a surge in attacks on security forces, government officials, and anti-polio vaccination teams in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, which borders Afghanistan. This increase in violence has led residents to demand peace, especially after the killing of 10 soldiers by militants in the Bannu cantonment area.