In a major crackdown on ousted Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan's supporters, hundreds of his party men and aides were arrested in police raids carried out in Lahore and Islamabad, police and PTI said on Monday.
"Around 285 PTI supporters have been arrested in Lahore and Islamabad. Houses of all major leaders were raided by police last night," Fawad Chaudhry, Pakistan's former Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting and close associate of Khan, told reporters.
Confirming the development, the spokespersons of the Lahore and Islamabad police said that the arrests were in connection to last week's arson in the two cities after Pakistani authorities attempted to arrest Khan following the issuance of non-bailable warrants against him.
"Police are raiding the houses because seven cases on various charges, including terrorism, have been registered against the leaders and workers," Lahore police chief Bilal Kamiana said pointing toward clashes between the cricketer-turned-politician's supporters and security forces.
The Lahore Police chief revealed that 125 PTI supporters have been arrested from the city so far. On the other hand, 198 activists associated with the PTI were arrested in Islamabad with more raids underway.
Last week's violence left 58 people injured, including a DIG rank officer, while many police vehicles were put on fire.
The violent face-off between supporters of Khan and the Pakistani authorities came after a local court issued arrest warrants against the PTI chief following his continuous non-appearances in the Toshakhana case.
Khan is an accused in the Toshakhana case after the Election Commission of Pakistan initiated criminal proceedings against him after finding him guilty of giving wrong information about gifts he received from foreign dignitaries during his tenure as Pakistan PM.
Khan was the South Asian nation's leader from August 2018 to April 2022 before he was ousted by a no-confidence vote.