Pakistani police used water cannons and fired tear gas to disperse supporters of former prime minister Imran Khan on Wednesday in the eastern city of Lahore. More than 40 supporters of Khan were arrested for defying a government ban on holding rallies in the city, police said.
The developments followed Khan’s launching of provincial election campaigns Tuesday for eastern Punjab and northwest Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province provinces, where the ex-premier’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party has held a majority in past rounds of voting.
Khan, now opposition leader, was ousted in a no-confidence vote in Parliament last April. He has claimed his removal was illegal and has also campaigned for early parliamentary elections. The government of his successor, Shahbaz Sharif, has dismissed Khan’s demands, saying the nationwide vote will take place as scheduled later in the year.
