“Imran should be released”: Advisor to former Pakistani Prime Minister speaks of great success of rally and claims Pakistani army chief Munir acted arbitrarily

The rally organised by the Pakistan Movement for Justice (PTI) was a huge success and Pakistani police fired tear gas shells at peaceful PTI workers who had gathered on the outskirts of the capital Islamabad demanding the release of their chief Imran Khan, claimed the former prime minister's close aide and popular Pakistani singer Dr Salman Ahmad.

“Imran is still the leader and should be released immediately. The rally was a great success,” said Ahmad CNN News18.

“There is a judicial farce taking place in Pakistan,” he said, referring to the police’s actions against the demonstrators.

Thousands of supporters of jailed former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan gathered on the outskirts of the capital Islamabad on Sunday demanding his release. He has been in jail for over a year on charges linked to police detention in over 150 cases.

The rally – which has been postponed twice in the past two months – was held near the Sangjani cattle market after the capital city administration issued a no-objection certificate.

“The PTI NOC rally took place on the outskirts of Islamabad after a long time. Containers were set up outside the rally to detain people. Thousands turned up and millions watched online demanding the release of Imran Khan,” Ahmad said.

“Tear gas shells were fired at peaceful participants,” he said, adding that the PTI would knock on the doors of the European Union (EU), the White House and the UN to highlight the police crackdown on its protesters.

Ahmad also claimed that Pakistani army chief Asim Munir was acting “arbitrarily”.

The PTI and Imran Khan have claimed that Asim Munir is not neutral. “The military has done everything it could against me. Now they have no choice but to assassinate me. I have publicly stated that if anything happens to me or my wife, General Asim Munir will be responsible. But I am not afraid because my faith is strong. I would prefer death to slavery,” Khan wrote in an opinion piece published earlier this year.

More than 20 people were injured in the clashes that broke out during the protests, including a high-ranking police officer.