Pakistan’s largest opposition party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), has kicked off a 90-day protest campaign to demand the release of jailed former Prime Minister Imran Khan—and this time, it’s taking the movement to the streets, literally. Trading mega-rallies for neighborhood-level demonstrations, the party’s leadership says this is a more grassroots approach with one clear message: Khan must go free. The campaign was unveiled in Lahore by Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur, who assured reporters the protests would be peaceful—but made clear PTI won’t be talking to what it calls the powerless civilian government. In a detailed report by The Media Line’s Arshad Mehmood [1], PTI officials say the real power lies with Pakistan’s military establishment, not elected ministers.
But not everyone’s convinced the party can pull off a national groundswell. As Arshad Mehmood reports, analysts are raising eyebrows over internal divisions, conflicting protest timelines, and the possibility of Khan’s sons entering the political arena—an ironic twist, given Khan’s years of railing against dynastic politics.
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Meanwhile, the state is cracking down hard. Dozens of pro-PTI YouTube channels have been blocked, and restrictions on political speech are tightening. Still, as analyst Salman Lali put it, Khan remains a force: “Whether you love him or hate him, Khan has become a symbol of resistance to a system seen by many as unaccountable and imposed.”
Whether PTI can turn that symbolism into street-level momentum is the big question. The government’s approval ratings are in the basement—but protests need more than outrage to succeed. Read Arshad Mehmood’s full report [1] at The Media Line for the full picture.