Opposition supporters in Pakistan have temporarily called off protests demanding the release of jailed former prime minister Imran Khan, a day after marching on central Islamabad. Protesters had vowed not to leave the capital until Khan's release.

The party of Pakistan's jailed former Prime Minister Imran Khan suspended street protests seeking his release, it said on Wednesday, following media reports of hundreds of arrests by security forces in a sweeping midnight raid in the capital.

The unrest was sparked by Khan's imprisonment at Rawalpindi 's Adiala Jail since August 2023 on several charges. Despite a court order barring a planned rally on November 24, PTI supporters gathered at D-Chowk in Islamabad, demanding Khan's release. The protesters broke through barriers in the high-security zone near important government buildings.