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PESHAWAR: Thousands of supporters of former prime minister Imran Khan on Saturday gathered in the northwestern Pakistani town of Swabi to demand the release of the former premier, amid a campaign by his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) party to get him out of prison and oppose recent “controversial” constitutional changes in the country.
Cavalcades of Khan supporters made their way to Swabi from various parts of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province, where Khan’s PTI party rules, and elsewhere in the country.
The PTI has held several rallies in Pakistan in recent months to mount pressure on authorities to get the ex-premier, who has been in jail since August last year on a slew of charges, out of prison.
The rally was attended by several PTI leaders, including KP Chief Minister Ali Amin Khan Gandapur, Omar Ayub Khan, Asad Qaisar and PTI chairman Gohar Khan.
“Even if our lives are gone, we will take a sigh only when Imran Khan is released,” Gandapur told the attendees in Swabi. “Imran Khan has ordered that he is going to call us in the month of November. We will not return until we get Imran Khan released.”

PTI Chairman Gohar promised to continue their struggle for the release of Khan.
“We believe in the rule of law and according to the constitution of Pakistan, the change will come from within Pakistan,” he said, denying that his party sought support from the West for Khan’s release.
“Hopefully, the release of Imran Khan will be made possible from here [Swabi], according to the constitution and law of Pakistan.”
Khan, arguably Pakistan’s most popular politician, was ousted from office after a parliamentary no-trust vote in April 2022 and has since waged an unprecedented campaign of defiance against the country’s powerful military and the Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif-led government, which Khan’s party says rigged the Feb. 8 general election and formed a government with the backing of the army. Both deny the charge.
The PTI has recently held a number of public gatherings, some without permission from authorities, for Khan’s release as well as to oppose controversial legislations and constitutional changes that extended the tenure of military services chiefs and granted lawmakers the authority to nominate the chief justice of Pakistan, who previously used to be automatically appointed according to the principle of seniority.
The opposition and the legal fraternity have also opposed the amendments, arguing that they were aimed at granting more power to the executive in making judicial appointments and curtailing the independence of the judiciary. The government denies this.
Gohar announced at the rally that the PTI and its ally in the National Assembly, the Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC) party, would file a petition against the controversial amendments in the Supreme Court.

KARACHI: Pakistan will reduce electricity tariffs during winter in a bid to boost consumption and cut the use of natural gas for heating, its power minister told Reuters on Saturday.
The move is expected to provide relief to businesses and citizens, who have suffered from steep and sudden increases in electricity tariffs following energy sector reforms suggested by the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
Utilities in Pakistan, many of which have had to curtail or even completely cease operations in winter months due to demand dropping by up to 60 percent from peak summer levels, will also benefit from the move.
“Reducing prices will increase demand, especially in winter when people use inefficient gas resources,” Power Minister Awais Leghari told Reuters in a telephone interview.
Pakistan will pilot the plan starting this winter, and the lower tariffs will apply between December 2024 to February 2025, he said.
The IMF, which approved a $7 billion, 37-month loan for Pakistan in September, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Pakistan relies heavily on expensive natural gas and burning wood for heating during winter.
Power consumption in Pakistan has declined 8-10 percent year on year over the past three quarters, Leghari said. But he said he hopes that an economic recovery will cover up for lost ground and will help boost demand by a net average 2.8 percent annually over the next ten years.
Leghari expects the move to slash winter tariffs to help industries reduce electricity costs by 7-8 percent at an optimal level, while stimulating industrial growth in the process.
Leghari also said the government is working to rationalize power tariffs, re-profile power sector debt and adjust tax structures within electricity bills.
“The government is in talks with development partners to reduce taxes to spur growth of electric vehicles and combating the emergent problem of air pollution, promoting a shift away from combustion-based transportation toward clean energy,” he said.