Thousands of supporters of Pakistan’s imprisoned ex-Prime Minister Khan rally to demand his release

PESHAWAR, Pakistan (AP) — Thousands of supporters of Pakistan’s imprisoned former prime minister have rallied in the country’s volatile northwest to mark the first anniversary of his arrest and demand his immediate release. Monday’s protest is part of Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf or PTI opposition party’s campaign aimed at pressuring the government of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to free him. The rally was held in Swabi, a city in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province where Khan’s party rules. It was one of the biggest protests since 2022 when Khan was ousted in a no-confidence vote in the parliament. An estimated 10,000 supporters of Khan were seen at the rally.