Pak police arrest 120 workers of PTI ahead of protest

Police arrested 120 activists of Pakistan's main opposition party in raids overnight, security officials said, ahead of protests planned for yesterday, the second anniversary of the jailing of their leader, Imran Khan.

Most of the detentions, made on Monday night and early yesterday, were in the eastern city of Lahore, two police officers told Reuters, where Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party vowed its biggest demonstration, as well as protests elsewhere.

At least 200 activists had been arrested from Lahore, said party spokesperson Zulfikar Bukhari, adding that the protest would go ahead.

Lahore is the capital of the eastern province of Punjab, the country's most politically important region and home to half its population.

The Punjab government and the provincial police did not respond to requests for comment yesterday. In a statement on Monday, police said large contingents of police were providing security in all the province's major cities.