A recent political gathering, according to Defence Minister Khawaja Asif, was a “reaction” to what he called a “black day” in Pakistani politics that had taken place two days earlier.

Speaking in the National Assembly, Khawaja Asif denounced the words and deeds of the opposition, claiming that they inevitably sparked a reaction. He opposed catchphrases like “no Imran, no Pakistan,” contending that they justified the current political unrest.

Citing their past with the establishment, he further charged that the opposition was weakening the nation’s federation and always seeking political backing from the military.

He referred to Sunday’s political demonstration as one of the “darkest days” in Pakistani history and charged that attendees were defying the military. Additionally, he criticised Ali Amin Gandapur and other PTI leaders specifically for their combative comments.

The PTI leader Ali Muhammad Khan was also scathingly attacked by the defence minister, who accused him of being hypocritical in his outward acts of piety.

Following a protracted break, Imran Khan’s troubled party eventually pulled off a sizable gathering in Islamabad on Sunday. The event was marred by altercations with the capital’s police that left numerous police officers and PTI employees hurt.

The PTI was allowed by the authorities to host a public meeting in the nation’s capital on Sunday. But in preparation for the demonstration, they had also effectively turned Islamabad into a walled city, with shipping containers blocking all the roads connecting it to nearby Rawalpindi and over 6,000 police and Frontier Constabulary (FC) officers staffing the routes.

The government promptly detained PTI’s leaders the day after the party negotiated a convoluted legal position to organise its demonstration in the nation’s capital.

The party’s violation of recently passed legislation, which was quickly proposed prior to the event and was viewed as a critical litmus test for the party’s political power, prompted this action.

Just as the laws governing public assemblies were being finalised, PTI leaders Barrister Gohar Ali Khan, Sher Afzal Khan Marwat, and Advocate Shoaib Shaheen were apprehended by Islamabad police outside the parliament.

PTI leaders Omar Ayub Khan and Zartaj Gul Wazir were also being targeted, according to Islamabad police spokesperson Jawad Taqi, who confirmed the arrests.