Pakistan bans Imran's protest march, 'hundreds' held

Pakistan's government on Tuesday banned a planned protest march by ousted Prime Minister Imran Khan, who is demanding fresh elections as a political and economic crisis deepens in the South Asian nation, officials said, report agencies.
The ban was announced by Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah hours after a policeman was shot and killed during a crackdown on Khan's leaders and supporters, according to a police statement and remarks by Information Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb at a news briefing.
Meanwhile, Pakistani police detained hundreds of supporters of ousted prime minister Imran Khan overnight ahead of a major sit-in planned by the former leader, senior party members and police sources said Tuesday, as the government pledged to block the protest.
Khan, a cricket star turned populist politician, was kicked out of power last month in a vote of no-confidence, but has since pressured the country's fragile new coalition government by staging mass rallies across the country.
Alleging that he was removed through a "foreign conspiracy", Khan plans on Wednesday to lead tens of thousands of supporters from his power base in the northwestern city of Peshawar to the capital Islamabad demanding fresh elections.
"Tomorrow I will be leading the largest march of Pakistan's history. I don't consider it politics but jihad," Khan said, referring to a term used by Muslims to describe a struggle.
Another report adds: The Islamabad and Lahore high courts on Tuesday restricted the government from 'unnecessarily' harassing and arresting the Pakistan PTI workers and leaders.
The directives by the courts come just hours after police launched a crackdown on the former ruling party and raided the houses of party leaders allegedly forcing them to go into hiding.
The Islamabad High Court (IHC) issued notices to the concerned quarters to stop the "unnecessary harassment and arrests" of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) workers and leaders.