Authorities in Karachi have detained 180 individuals under the Maintenance of Public Order (MPO) Ordinance ahead of a Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) protest, citing concerns over potential disruptions to law and order.
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According to a notification issued by the Sindh government, those detained include 24 individuals from District Central, 21 from South, 51 from East, 23 from Keamari, 22 from Korangi, nine from Malir, and 30 from West. The notification states that the listed individuals may block roads, stage sit-ins, and engage in activities that could disrupt public order and pose risks to life and property.
The Sindh Government has issued one-month detention orders under MPO-3 against 180 arrested PTI office-bearers and workers, and they are being shifted to jail.
These 170 individuals were arrested over the past week and during today’s operations. The Home Secretary Sindh has now… pic.twitter.com/GxmC4ZA3gf
— Tehreek-e-Tahafuz-e-Ayin-e-Pakistan (@TTAP_OFFICIAL) February 1, 2026
Under the orders, all named individuals are to be detained for 30 days and shifted to Malir Jail. The move comes ahead of PTI’s planned shutter-down strike scheduled for February 8.
PTI leaders strongly criticised the Sindh government’s actions, calling the detentions an attempt to suppress peaceful political activity. The party compared the crackdown to what it described as previous police excesses in Punjab.
According to The News, PTI claimed that more than 150 of its leaders and activists had been arrested to prevent the strike from being observed across the province.
Sindh PTI President Haleem Adil Sheikh accused the provincial government of engaging in what he termed a “competition in brutality” with Punjab. “Punjab set a standard of barbarism, and Sindh is trying to outdo it,” he said, alleging that political oppression was being used to silence dissent.
Sheikh further claimed that police had carried out raids on the homes of PTI leaders and workers across Karachi and other districts, breaking doors and harassing party members. He alleged that over 155 PTI leaders, workers and elected representatives had been arrested so far, with several others shifted to undisclosed locations.
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Reiterating the party’s stance, Sheikh said the February 8 strike would remain peaceful and voluntary. “We have not called for forced shop closures, vandalism or roadblocks,” he said, adding that arrests and police action would not deter PTI’s political movement.