Pakistani authorities have launched a crackdown on former prime minister Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf celebration, detaining 1000’s of the favored opposition chief’s supporters and allegedly pressuring senior allies to stop the group.

Pakistan’s military and the federal government of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif have responded fiercely to violent protests this month sparked by Khan’s arrest by an anti-corruption company. No less than 10 folks have died within the protests and navy buildings have been vandalised.

Khan, who’s out on bail, claimed on Thursday that 10,000 PTI supporters had been in jail. The federal government has estimated that the determine is decrease.

“The state is attempting to dismantle the celebration,” Khan mentioned, warning that Pakistan had begun a “descent into fascism” underneath Sharif.

A lot of senior PTI leaders have additionally been arrested, and a few abruptly introduced they had been quitting the celebration and leaving politics in current days. These included Fawad Chaudhry and Shireen Mazari, each former PTI ministers. Mazari introduced her retirement on Tuesday after being arrested 4 instances this month.

Sharif and the military, which performs a strong behind-the-scenes position in governing the nation, have condemned the violence by Khan’s supporters and vowed to crack down on the alleged perpetrators, with the prime minister accusing them of terrorism. Defence minister Khawaja Asif mentioned on Wednesday that authorities had been contemplating banning the PTI. 

Khan, who has led a relentless and sometimes vitriolic marketing campaign for fast elections, and his celebration have additionally condemned the violence.

On Wednesday, the previous prime minister supplied to barter with the federal government to discover a resolution to the disaster — his most important concession since his removing from workplace in a no-confidence vote final 12 months. “If they’ve an answer and [show] that the nation will do higher with out Imran Khan, I’m able to step apart,” he mentioned.

The arrests have alarmed worldwide observers, with the UN’s human rights commissioner Volker Türk warning on Wednesday that “the rule of legislation [is] at severe danger”. 

Analysts mentioned the crackdown, which they imagine is being orchestrated by the navy, is likely one of the most important challenges to democracy in Pakistan because it returned to civilian rule in 2008 after years of dictatorship.

“The present crackdown is proof of a slide in the direction of full-blown authoritarianism,” mentioned Uzair Younus, director of the Pakistan Initiative on the Atlantic Council, a Washington-based think-tank. “The present construction nonetheless has a facade of civilian democratic rule via parliament. Whether or not it survives the onslaught stays to be seen.”

He added that the marketing campaign was “being pushed by the navy, with the coalition authorities in Islamabad taking part in the position of a keen junior associate”.

Pakistan’s navy and the federal government didn’t reply to requests for remark.

Khan is going through a barrage of authorized challenges, together with allegations of corruption and terrorism, all of which he denies. Whereas many analysts mentioned he can be the preferred candidate in nationwide elections as a consequence of be held by October, he could also be barred from working if convicted.

“Earlier than the elections are held, the PTI shall be successfully shackled,” mentioned Imtiaz Gul, a political commentator in Islamabad. “It’s a scientific shackling of the preferred political celebration.”

Civil society teams have additionally known as on authorities to seek out Imran Riaz Khan, a pro-PTI journalist who has been lacking since his arrest on Might 11. 

Marketing campaign group Reporters With out Borders alleged that Khan, who isn’t associated to the previous prime minister, had been “kidnapped” by the navy. “Pakistani authorities shall be held immediately accountable for any hurt which will have befallen him,” the group mentioned in an announcement.

A second journalist, Sami Ibrahim, was additionally reported lacking by his household on Thursday.