Pakistan: Police detain Khan ally during protest — party

A key ally of Pakistan's former Prime Minister Imran Khan, who is in jail, was detained during the latest anti-government protest in the capital, Islamabad, Khan's party said Saturday.

Ali Amin Gandapur, chief minister of the northwestern province of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, was leading a convoy of Khan supporters into the city when he was detained by paramilitary and police forces.

Khan's spokesperson, Zulfikar Bukhari, told journalists that the incident happened as Gandapur arrived at his official residence in Islamabad. Bukhari labeled the incident an "attack on the federation."  

Leaders of Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party said Gandapur was taken into custody but not formally arrested. They said he was detained for defying a police ban on rallies.

There was no official confirmation of the arrest from authorities.

What is the latest on the protests?

Saturday was the second conservative day of protests against Khan's imprisonment in Islamabad as well as the eastern city of Lahore, which saw similar scenes.

In the capital, demonstrators clashed with riot police and paramilitary forces, who fired tear-gas shells to try to disperse the growing crowds from around key government buildings, including Parliament and the Supreme Court.

All the main entrance points into the city were blocked with shipping containers by authorities, leaving the streets mostly deserted.

Schools in the city were shuttered and mobile and internet services were suspended as part of a government lockdown.

Similar protests erupted Friday, where demonstrators refused to disperse and headed toward the parliament house, where Khan's party held a 126-day-long sit-in in 2014.

Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi said more than 80 policemen were wounded in clashes with PTI protesters over the past two days.

Authorities are keen to quell the protests ahead of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit in Islamabad on October 15-16, which is expected to draw the world's attention.

Human rights groups, meanwhile, have decried what they say is a concerning crackdown on the right to protest in Pakistan

Khan thanks supporters for 'courage'

Khan served as prime minister from 2018 to 2022, when he was ousted in a no-confidence vote in parliament after falling out with the powerful military establishment.

As opposition leader, Khan led an unprecedented campaign of defiance before becoming tangled up in several legal cases he claims have been orchestrated to prevent his return to power. 

He remains in prison on multiple charges and was barred from standing in the February elections that were marred by allegations of vote fraud.

Speaking Saturday, Khan wrote on X, formerly Twitter, of his pride in his party's supporters for continuing their protests, adding: "You showed unfaltering resilience and courage as you came out yesterday and overcame unbelievable obstacles."

Soldiers, rebel fighters killed in northwestern province

Meanwhile, militants killed six Pakistani soldiers in a shootout during the latest unrest in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province bordering Afghanistan, the army said Saturday.

The troops died in an overnight operation in North Waziristan district, according to a statement from the army. It said six militants also were killed.

The army said a separate operation killed two militants in Swat, also in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

mm/sms (AFP, AP, dpa, Reuters)