Pakistan ex-PM Imran Khan calls for nationwide ‘freedom’ protests
- Khan urges his supporters to hold protests ‘at the end of your streets and villages’ across the country on Sunday and announces he will return to campaigning on Wednesday
- Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif warns that those involved in perpetrating the violence will be arrested within 72 hours
The one-time cricket superstar – who has been tied up in dozens of legal cases since being ousted from power in April last year – was freed on bail on Friday after his detention was declared unlawful by the Supreme Court.
Enraged by the arrest, supporters set fire to government buildings, blocked roads and damaged property belonging to the military, which they blame for Khan’s downfall.
“Freedom does not come easily. You have to snatch it. You have to sacrifice for it,” he said in an address broadcast on YouTube Saturday night.
He called for his supporters to hold protests “at the end of your streets and villages” across the country on Sunday, and announced a return to campaigning on Wednesday for immediate elections.
For months, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party leader has waged a campaign of defiance against the military.
His arrest on Tuesday came just hours after he was rebuked for claiming senior officials were involved in an assassination attempt against him last year.