On August 5, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) marked two years since Imran Khan’s imprisonment with coordinated mass rallies in major cities, including Lahore, Karachi, Rawalpindi, Peshawar, Sialkot, and Multan.

These events defied government-imposed bans and Section 144 restrictions. Authorities responded with widespread raids, baton charges, and tear gas deployments across multiple cities.

In Lahore, security forces detained approximately 200–300 PTI workers and several lawmakers during overnight crackdowns. MPAs such as Moeen Riaz Qureshi, Shoaib Amir, Farrukh Javed Moon, Iqbal Khattak, and others were temporarily held and later released.

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Among those arrested was Rehana Dar, aged in her seventies and a prominent PTI activist from Sialkot, who was leading chants near Aiwan-e-Adal in Lahore. Officers in riot gear dragged her into a police van, a scene PTI described as “a shameful sight” reflecting moral decay at the top ranks of Punjab’s administration.

Despite arrests and intimidation tactics, including door-to-door raids and bank account freezes, many detainees were released on affidavits later that same day. PTI leaders vowed the protests marked the beginning of an enduring movement.

میں دل کی گہرائیوں سے شکریہ ادا کرنا چاہتی ہوں انصاف لائرز فورم پاکستان کے چیف آرگنائزر جناب انتظار حسین پنجوتہ صاحب کا اور ILF کے تمام وکلاء کا جنہوں نے ظلم کے مقابلے میں مجھے بھرپور قانونی سہارا دیا۔
اسی طرح پاکستان تحریکِ انصاف کے ہر اُس کارکن، ہر بیٹے، ہر بیٹی اور تمام قیادت… pic.twitter.com/sxeNPgGwfg

— Rehana Dar (@RehanaImtiazDar) August 5, 2025

After her release, Rehana Dar expressed heartfelt thanks to the legal team and PTI supporters for standing by her during her arrest. After her release, she tweeted a powerful message vowing to continue the fight for Imran Khan’s freedom.

She tweeted, “I offer my heartfelt gratitude to Mr. Intizar Hussain Panjotha, Chief Organizer of the Insaf Lawyers Forum Pakistan, and all its lawyers for standing firmly by my side. I also thank every PTI worker, every son, every daughter, and the entire leadership who used my voice to stand against this tyranny. Remember: these arrests, this brutality, and this injustice they can never break us. We are people ready to sacrifice everything for a leader like Imran Khan. This is just the beginning; watch what happens next. Until Imran Khan is freed, neither I nor any worker from Sialkot will stand down! Our resolve is unwavering, our faith steadfast; we are Imran Khan’s soldiers, and defeating us is not in the power of this fake, rotten, corrupt system.”