<div style="text-align: justify; "><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Thousands of supporters of Pakistan’s imprisoned former Prime Minister Imran Khan rallied on the outskirts of the capital, Islamabad on Sunday, demanding his release. He has been in prison for more than a year in connection with more than 150 police cases.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Khan, the main rival of current Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, remains a popular figure despite these cases, which critics and his party say are politically motivated. He was ousted in 2022 through a no-confidence vote in parliament.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Sunday's rally, one of the biggest this year by Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf opposition party, or PTI, was held peacefully, though police briefly clashed with some activists.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Khan’s spokesman Zulfi Bukhari denounced the police action against his “peaceful” supporters, in a statement.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Earlier, authorities had blocked key roads by putting shipping containers to prevent his supporters from attending the rally.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">“God willing, we will secure the release of Imran Khan soon," said Ali Amin, the top elected official in the northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, addressing the rally.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">He gave an ultimatum of two weeks to the government for his leader's release.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Khan has been in prison since 2023 when he was arrested after being sentenced in a graft case.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify; ">bnbd24/kh</div>