Pakistan opposition says dozens of activists arrested ahead of planned protest

Reuters
Chairman of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) political party Imran Khan addresses his supporters during what has been dubbed a "freedom march" in Islamabad August 20, 2014. REUTERS/Faisal Mahmood/File Photo

ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - Pakistani police raided an opposition party youth rally in the capital on Thursday night and arrested about 40 people ahead of a planned protest that party leader Imran Khan has said would shut down the city, a party spokeswoman said. The arrests were at a youth meeting of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party in Islamabad's E-11 district, spokeswoman Anila Khawaja said. "All of the sudden police arrived and started arresting people," she said. Early on Thursday, a city order banned all public gatherings ahead of Khan's planned protest set to begin Nov. 2. (Writing by Kay Johnson; Editing by Toby Chopra)