27 Pakistanis detained shortly in Turkey for holding pro-Imran rallying without permission

ISTANBUL – As thousands of Imran Khan supporters took to the streets in Pakistan and abroad to protest his ouster from power, scores of Pakistanis were detained in Turkey for staging a protest without permission.

Pakistani social activist and lawyer Jibran Nasir shared the news on social media, saying that Turkish authorities have now released the detained Pakistanis.

He thanked the Pakistani diplomats in Turkey who worked hard to ensure release of the detained Pakistanis who turned out to express support for the cricketer turned politician who was ousted through a no-confidence motion.

All students amongst the detained Pakistanis who did political protest in favour of #PTI in #Istanbul have been released as per @PakinTurkey. Thank you to our diplomats in Turkey who worked hard to ensure this. https://t.co/vryFd7nmPf

— M. Jibran Nasir 🇵🇸 (@MJibranNasir) April 12, 2022

Many of the Pakistani students descended at Taksim Square, Istanbul’s main pedestrian boulevard, waving flags of PTI and shouting slogans against the opposition alliance without taking permission from the local administration.

#استنبول : چند پاکستانیوں کا تقسیم اسکوائر پر احتجاج ،سابق وزیر اعظم عمران خان کے حق میں نعرے بازی۔ ملکی قوانین کی خلاف ورزی پر پولیس نے مظاہرین کو گرفتار کر لیا ۔
انتظامیہ سے رابطے میں ہیں، مظاہرین کو جلد رہا کر دیا جائے گا ، ذرائع پاکستانی قونصلیٹ#protest #TaksimSquare pic.twitter.com/LqrfYq1OUb

— ترکیہ اردو (@TurkiyeUrdu_) April 11, 2022

Following the arrests, the Embassy of Pakistan in Ankara and the Consulate General immediately approached the relevant authorities for release of the detained students.

The detained students will not be able to participate in any political activity in near future and their movement will be monitored.

PTI activists also agitated in many countries, especially outside former prime minister Nawaz Sharif's residence in London.