On March 14, 2023, a wave of protests erupted after the Punjab Police attempted to arrest the former

prime minister of Pakistan The prime minister of Pakistan (, Roman Urdu, romanized: Wazīr ē Aʿẓam , ) is the head of government of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. Executive authority is vested in the prime minister and his chosen Cabinet of Pakistan, cabinet, desp ...

Imran Khan Imran Ahmed Khan Niazi (born 5 October 1952) is a Pakistani politician, philanthropist, and former cricketer who served as the 19th prime minister of Pakistan from August 2018 until April 2022. He was the founder of the political party Pak ...

, nearly one year after his removal from office. The climax of a series of events — including, but not limited to, Khan being charged under anti-terror laws after accusing government officials of unlawfully torturing an aide, his removal from office, and an attempt on his life five months prior — the attempted arrest led to

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) is a political party in Pakistan established in 1996 by cricketer and politician Imran Khan, who served as the country's prime minister from 2018 to 2022. The party is led by Gohar Ali Khan since late 2023. ...

(PTI) party workers and supporters clashing with police outside Khan's residence in Lahore, despite the arrest being called off. The clashes, which persisted for several days, led to the arrests of party workers, supporters being suppressed with

tear gas Tear gas, also known as a lachrymatory agent or lachrymator (), sometimes colloquially known as "mace" after the Mace (spray), early commercial self-defense spray, is a chemical weapon that stimulates the nerves of the lacrimal gland in the ey ...

and

water cannons A water cannon is a device that shoots a high-velocity stream of water. Typically, a water cannon can deliver a large volume of water, often over dozens of meters. They are used in firefighting, large vehicle washing, riot control, and mining. ...

, as well as 54 police officers being "seriously injured". Little over seven weeks later, on May 9, 2023, Khan was arrested — immediately triggering widespread, violent unrest across Pakistan, with tens of thousands of Khan's supporters participating in riots, demonstrations, vandalism, and clashes with police officers and soldiers. With protesters alleging that Khan's arrest was a response to his anti-military stance, various military installations were targeted and attacked throughout the country. Protesters in Lahore targeted the Corps Commander House, which ultimately sustained heavy damage. The

Radio Pakistan The Pakistan Broadcasting Corporation (); also known as ''Radio Pakistan'', serves as the national public broadcaster for radio in Pakistan. Although some local stations predate its founding, it is the oldest existing broadcasting network in P ...

premises in

Peshawar Peshawar is the capital and List of cities in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa by population, largest city of the Administrative units of Pakistan, Pakistani province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. It is the sixth most populous city of Pakistan, with a district p ...

were also targeted, with protesters setting fire to the main building and destroying dozens of historical audio recordings. On May 10, 2023 and 27 February 2025

Section 144 Unlawful assembly is a legal term to describe a group of people with the mutual intent of deliberate disturbance of the peace. If the group is about to start an act of disturbance, it is termed a rout; if the disturbance is commenced, it is then t ...

was imposed across the country and military deployment was ordered in an attempt to quell the rising death toll. Internet access was blocked indefinitely, with nearly 125 million people being affected by the government's decision to suspend mobile broadband and block access to social media apps. Riots subsided by May 12, with Khan being released on bail following a

Supreme Court In most legal jurisdictions, a supreme court, also known as a court of last resort, apex court, high (or final) court of appeal, and court of final appeal, is the highest court within the hierarchy of courts. Broadly speaking, the decisions of ...

ruling that deemed his arrest unlawful. Presently, diminished purchasing power has led to widespread protests in cities where citizens have resorted to burning electricity bills and blocking roads.

Background

These protests are part of wider ongoing political unrest in Pakistan that triggered with the ouster of former

Prime Minister Imran Khan Imran Ahmed Khan Niazi (born 5 October 1952) is a Pakistani politician, philanthropist, and former cricketer who served as the 19th prime minister of Pakistan from August 2018 until April 2022. He was the founder of the political party Pak ...

from his office through a vote of

No-Confidence Motion A motion or vote of no confidence (or the inverse, a motion or vote of confidence) is a motion and corresponding vote thereon in a deliberative assembly (usually a legislative body) as to whether an officer (typically an executive) is deemed fit ...

(NCM). As a result of successful NCM,

became first Pakistani PM ever to be removed by the NCM. After ouster from office Khan alleged that he was ousted by the PDM-an alliance of 13 political parties. Leading up to these protests was the 2022

Toshakhana reference case Imran Khan and his spouse Bushra Bibi have been charged in multiple Toshakhana reference cases for retaining state gifts at discounted prices from Toshakhana. In September 2022, Khan admitted to having sold four gifts, which included assorted ...

, a Pakistani government inquiry registered against Imran Khan by the

Election Commission of Pakistan The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) is an independent, autonomous, permanent and constitutionally established federal body responsible for organizing and conducting elections to the national parliament, provincial legislatures, local g ...

. Khan was believed to have been evading mandatory hearings appearances. As a result, the District and Sessions court of capital Islamabad issued an arrest warrant for Khan and ordered the police to arrest him so as to present him for the next hearing. Khan, however, maintains the arrest is truly aimed at removing him from the upcoming national election.

Timeline

First Phase (14 March – 1 May)

Protests first broke out in Islamabad on Tuesday 14 March when police first decided to delay Khan's arrest. Police and party workers clashed outside of his Zaman Park residence in

Lahore Lahore ( ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the Administrative units of Pakistan, Pakistani province of Punjab, Pakistan, Punjab. It is the List of cities in Pakistan by population, second-largest city in Pakistan, after Karachi, and ...

, and also used gas and a

water cannon A water cannon is a device that shoots a high-velocity stream of water. Typically, a water cannon can deliver a large volume of water, often over dozens of meters. They are used in firefighting, large vehicle washing, riot control, and mining. ...

on supporters nearby. Police also arrested party workers. The clash between PTI supporters and security forces continued for two days, during which police and Rangers repeatedly attempted to enter Imran Khan's residence with armored vehicles. On the second day, Khan's lawyers approached the

Islamabad High Court The Islamabad High Court (IHC) is the senior court of the Islamabad Capital Territory, Pakistan, with appellate jurisdiction over the following District courts of Pakistan, district courts: * Islamabad District Court (East) * Islamabad Distr ...

(IHC) and requested it to suspend Khan's non-bailable arrest warrants in the

Toshakhana case Imran Khan and his spouse Bushra Bibi have been charged in multiple Toshakhana reference cases for retaining state gifts at discounted prices from Toshakhana (Pakistan), Toshakhana. In September 2022, Khan admitted to having sold four gifts, ...

. In a contrary decision, the high court directed the deposed prime minister's counsel to move the trial court instead, as the order for his arrest was "in line with the law". Imran Khan spoke to the nation via video link, urging the judiciary and establishment to put an end to the "farce" and think about the country's well-being. Imran Khan pointed out that the case against him was being heard at the F8 Katcheri in Islamabad, where explosions had occurred in the past, and that the Interior Ministry had declared his life to be in danger. At around the same time, the Pakistani political party PTI also filed a petition in the

Lahore High Court The Lahore High Court () is a provincial court house based in Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan. It was established as a high court on 21 March 1882. The Lahore High Court has jurisdiction over the province of Punjab. The High Court's principal seat is ...

(LHC) to suspend the warrant orders. However, on 15 March 2023, the LHC ordered the police to halt their operations in Lahore's Zaman Park until March 16, despite their failure to apprehend Khan. They reasoned that an arrest would interfere with the nearby

Pakistan Super League The Pakistan Super League (PSL), also known as HBL PSL for sponsorship reasons, is a professional Twenty20 cricket league in Pakistan, organised by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB). Founded by the PCB in 2015, the league features six city-bas ...

playoff match. The

considered a plea against Imran Khan's arrest warrants and asked the PTI to remove objections from the petition. The authenticity of the PTI's footage of armed law enforcement personnel opening fire at Imran Khan's residence could not be independently verified, and it was unclear if it was from that day. On 16 March, Khan—as the chairman of the PTI—requested again the suspension of the non-bailable arrest warrants issued in the

, but this request was denied again by the Islamabad District Court on March 16, 2023. Additional District and Sessions judge Zafar Iqbal announced the verdict and ordered the authorities concerned to arrest the former prime minister and present him before the court on March 18. The Lahore High Court then duplicated its order the police postpone their attempt to detain Khan until March 17.

Clashes

During the clashes on 15 March, PTI supporters threw stones at the security personnel, while police officials fired tear gas canisters at the protesters. In retaliation, PTI supporters set fire to a water tanker belonging to the Lahore Waste Management Authority, motorcycles, and other vehicles in the area. They also looted a warden's office on Mall Road. According to Punjab Inspector General Usman Anwar, 54 policemen were "seriously injured" since the clashes started, while 32 officers received first aid from Rescue 1122. The IG clarified that all roads in Lahore were open to traffic, except those near Zaman Park, and the same was true for educational institutions in the city. On 18 March 2023, the Punjab Police raided Khan's residence,

Zaman Park Zaman Park () is a neighborhood in the city of Lahore, Pakistan. History Zaman Park, named after Khan Bahadur Mohammad Zaman Khan, the Post Master General of Punjab in British India until 1943-44, wasn't always known by this name. Earlier maps la ...

. The police were granted permission by the

to search Khan's Zaman Park residence as part of an investigation into attacks on police units.

Second Phase (9–12 May)

The second phase of the protests was brief but marked violence and death of dozens of civilians. It was not until 7 May during a rally that Khan accused a senior ISI intelligence officer, Faisal Naseer, of orchestrating plans to murder him. The next day, ISPR said "irresponsible and baseless allegations" by Khan against a serving senior military officer without evidence were "extremely unfortunate, deplorable and unacceptable". Two days later, on 9 May, Khan was arrested in Al Qadir University Case and mass protests were held nationwide in

Pakistan Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the Islam by country# ...

. After the arrest of Khan protestors alleged that Khan was arrested on the orders of Pakistan Army for his anti-military stance. Protesters started to attack various military installations across the country. The General Headquarters (GHQ) of

Pakistan Army The Pakistan Army (, ), commonly known as the Pak Army (), is the Land warfare, land service branch and the largest component of the Pakistan Armed Forces. The president of Pakistan is the Commander-in-chief, supreme commander of the army. The ...

and the official residence of Corps Commander Lahore were attacked by the violent mob. In

Islamabad Islamabad (; , ; ) is the capital city of Pakistan. It is the country's tenth-most populous city with a population of over 1.1 million and is federally administered by the Pakistani government as part of the Islamabad Capital Territory. Bu ...

blocked one of the main highways in and out of the capital, people also lit fires and threw stones during this early event. One person died in the locality of

Quetta Quetta is the capital and largest city of the Pakistani province of Balochistan. It is the ninth largest city in Pakistan, with an estimated population of over 1.6 million in 2024. It is situated in the south-west of the country, lying in a ...

. Protesters in

also set fire to the Radio Pakistan premises in protest. There were many clashes during these protests also. At around this time, the social media shutdown was authorised, impacting YouTube, Twitter and Facebook. Former ministers who served in the cabinet of ex-PM Imran Khan, namely

Shah Mahmood Qureshi Makhdoom Shah Mahmood Hussain Qureshi (; born 22 June 1956) is a Pakistani politician who served as the minister of Foreign Affairs from 2018 to 2022. He previously held the post from 2008 to 2011. He had been a Parliament of Pakistan from Augu ...

Asad Umar Asad Umar (; born 8 September 1961) is a Pakistani former business executive and politician who served as the Finance, Revenue, and Economic Affairs Minister of Pakistan from August 2018 to April 2019 and the Federal Minister for Planning, De ...

, and

Fawad Chaudhry Fawad Ahmed Hussain Chaudhry () is a Pakistani politician who served as Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting, in office since 14 April 2021 to 10 April 2022. On 24 May 2023 announced he is best and good from politics. Previously, ...

, are among those that have been arrested during the nationwide protests. The Chief Minister of

Gilgit-Baltistan Gilgit-Baltistan (; ), formerly known as the Northern Areas, is a region administered by Pakistan as an administrative units of Pakistan, administrative territory and consists of the northern portion of the larger Kashmir region, which has b ...

Khalid Khurshid Muhammad Khalid Khurshid Khan (; born 17 November 1980) is a politician who served as the President of PTI Gilgit-Baltistan from May 2022 to December 2023 and as the Chief Minister of Gilgit-Baltistan, a territory in Northern Pakistan ('' de f ...

, was placed under house arrest in Islamabad. Authorities imposed

in all provinces of Pakistan, and the Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah requested the deployment of soldiers from the Pakistan Army in Punjab and

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (; ; , ; abbr. KP or KPK), formerly known as the North West Frontier Province (NWFP), is a Administrative units of Pakistan, province of Pakistan. Located in the Northern Pakistan, northwestern region of the country, Khyber ...

as the police force was deemed incapable of handling the situation. As a result, 10 companies of the Army were dispatched to Punjab after the announcement was made. However, according to reports, the

Supreme Court of Pakistan The Supreme Court of Pakistan (; ''Adālat-e-Uzma Pākistān'') is the apex court in the Judiciary of Pakistan, judicial hierarchy of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. Established in accordance witPart VIIof the Constitution of Pakistan, it h ...

has since deemed the arrest of Imran Khan as unlawful, ordering the Pakistani authorities to release him. The army was deployed across the country as the death toll was rising in clashes between protestors and security forces. On 12 May, Khan was released on bail and made his way to his personal residence on Lahore. Once out of prison he stated that "I am 100% sure I will be arrested again." and also noted that arrest warrants will be issued for his wife,

Bushra Bibi Bushra Bibi (born 1970s) is a Pakistani faith healer and politician. She is married to Imran Khan who was the prime minister of Pakistan from 2018 to 2022. Early life Bushra Bibi was born in Pakpattan, located 250 km southwest of Lahor ...

, and that she too will likely be arrested. In an attempt to quell the situation, the Pakistani government shut down the rest of the internet, which failed to stifle the discontent and further fueled the protests across the country. Pakistani police surrounded Khan's house in Lahore on 17 May. Authorities issued a 24-hour deadline to Khan to surrender suspects, linked to the previous weeks violence, allegedly sheltered inside his home but the deadline expired without his arrest. He said he asked journalists to come to his home, which led to a de-escalation with police. "So that defused the situation because clearly there were no terrorists. So that's when the police could not take action," the former prime minister added.

References