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Supporters of Imran Khan, the former prime minister of Pakistan, are planning a protest march to Islamabad today where he is being held in custody on corruption charges – after almost 1,000 of them were arrested in one province alone.

The 70-year-old was arrested by security forces at the High Court in the capital on Tuesday and dragged into an armoured vehicle and driven away.

Dozens of officers were involved in the arrest. Pic: PTIofficial
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Dozens of officers were involved in the arrest of Imran Khan in Islamabad. Pic: PTIofficial
Smoke erupts from a burning objects set on fire by angry supporters of Pakistan's former Prime Minister Imran Khan as police fire tear gas to disperse them during a protest against the arrest of Khan, in Peshawar, Pakistan
Pic:AP
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Objects were set on fire by supporters of Imran Khan in Peshawar, Pakistan. Pic: AP

Violent clashes have erupted between his supporters and police in several cities following his detention, and at least two people have been killed – one in the southern city of Quetta, and the other in northwestern Pakistan.

Authorities in three of Pakistan’s four provinces have imposed an emergency order banning all gatherings following the violence. Two provinces have asking the federal government to deploy troops to restore order.

Police said 945 of Mr Khan’s supporters have been arrested in Punjab province, more than 130 officers have been injured, 25 police vehicles set on fire, and around 14 government buildings severely damaged and looted.

A court hearing scheduled for today to determine whether Mr Khan can be kept in custody took place at the police compound where he is being held, authorities said.

Pakistan’s GEO television broadcast footage showing Mr Khan appearing before a judge inside the temporary courtroom. The former premier was seen seated in a chair, holding documents, and appeared calm but tired.

The judge is expected to rule on the request for a 14-day detention later.

Supporters of Pakistan's former Prime Minister Imran Khan throw stones toward police 
Pic:AP
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Clashes between Mr Khan’s supporters and police in Karachi, Pakistan. Pics: AP
Police use a water cannon to disperse supporters of Pakistan's former Prime Minister Imran Khan protesting against the arrest of their leader, in Karachi, Pakistan
Pic:AP

In response to Mr Khan’s arrest, his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party called for peaceful demonstrations across the country.

His supporters in the northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province have been asked to gather in the city of Swabi to leave for Islamabad as part of a convoy.

“We continue to call PTI family workers, supporters and the people of Pakistan onto the streets for peaceful protest against this unconstitutional behaviour,” said PTI vice chairman Shah Mahmood Qureshi.

He added the party’s leadership is in Islamabad and would be seeking to challenge Mr Khan’s detention at the country’s supreme court.

Videos seen by Sky News in Pakistan show army bases being broken into by civilians and army vehicles being set alight in Lahore and Rawalpindi.

The home of Lieutenant General Salman Fayyaz Ghania – a top army chief – in the eastern city of Lahore was set on fire.

On Wednesday morning, police said at least 2,000 protesters were still surrounding the house, chanting slogans including, “Khan is our red line and you have crossed it”.

In the port city of Karachi, police fired tear gas to disperse hundreds of Mr Khan’s supporters.

A supporter of Pakistan's former Prime Minister Imran Khan burns a billboard during a protest against the arrest of their leader, in Lahore, Pakistan, Tuesday, May 9, 2023.  Khan was arrested Tuesday as he appeared in a court in the country...s capital, Islamabad, to face charges in multiple graft cases. Security agents dragged Khan outside and shoved him into an armored car before whisking him away. (AP Photo/K.M.Chaudary)
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A billboard is set alight in Lahore, Pakistan. Pic: AP
A police officer receives first aid after he was injured during a protest by the supporters of Pakistan's former Prime Minister Imran Khan after his arrest, in Karachi, Pakistan, May 9, 2023. REUTERS/Akhtar Soomro
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An injured police officer in Karachi, Pakistan

In a statement, Pakistan’s information minister Marriyum Aurangzeb denounced the attacks by the ex-PM’s supporters, saying it was done “in an orchestrated manner on Imran Khan’s directions”.

“This can’t be tolerated, the law will take its course,” planning minister Ahsan Iqbal told a news conference. “These violent attacks were not the outcome of any public outpouring, they were planned by the PTI rank and file.”

Internet services have been suspended across the country and access to Twitter, YouTube and Facebook have been disrupted, according to officials at Pakistan’s telecommunication authority.

Pakistan's paramilitary troops with riot gear stand guard outside a court, where Pakistan's former Prime Minister Imran Khan appearing, in Islamabad, Pakistan, Tuesday, May 9, 2023. Pakistan's anti-graft agents on Tuesday arrested former Prime Minister Khan as he appeared in a court in the capital, Islamabad, to face charges in multiple graft cases, police and officials from his party said. (AP Photo/Ghulam Farid)
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Pakistan’s paramilitary troops outside court. Pic: AP
Supporters of Pakistan's former Prime Minister Imran Khan chant slogans next to burning tires during a protest to condemn the arrest of their leader, in Hyderabad, Pakistan, Tuesday, May 9, 2023. Pakistan's anti-graft agents on Tuesday arrested former Prime Minister Khan as he appeared in a court in the capital, Islamabad, to face charges in multiple graft cases, police and officials from his party said. (AP Photo/Pervez Masih)
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Supporters of Mr Khan chant slogans next to burning tires during a protest in Hyderabad, Pakistan. Pic: AP

Mr Khan’s arrest came a day after the country’s powerful military criticised him for repeatedly accusing a senior military officer of trying to engineer his assassination and the former armed forces chief of being behind his removal from power last April.

He had recorded a video message before heading to Islamabad, claiming officials were out for his arrest to prevent him from campaigning.

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Former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan gestures in a video statement
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Imran Khan issued a video statement ahead of his detention

The cricketing hero-turned-politician – who has been pushing for new elections – has denounced the cases against him, which include terrorism charges, as a politically motivated plot by his successor, Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif.

He faces being barred from holding public office if convicted, with a general election scheduled to take place in November.

“Imran Khan will have to face the law and if he is cleared he will be contesting elections and if he is found guilty he will have to face the consequences,” said Mr Iqbal.

The British Foreign and Commonwealth Office has warned of further disruption in the country.

The UK’s foreign secretary James Cleverly said: “The UK has a longstanding and close relationship with Pakistan. We are Commonwealth partners. We want to see peaceful democracy in that country. We want to see the rule of law adhered to.”

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25% of young children and pregnant women malnourished in Gaza, charity says, as PM vows to fly critical medical cases to UK

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25% of young children and pregnant women malnourished in Gaza, charity says, as PM vows to fly critical medical cases to UK

A charity has warned 25% of young children and pregnant women in Gaza are now malnourished, with Sir Keir Starmer vowing to evacuate children who need “critical medical assistance” to the UK.

MSF, also known as Doctors Without Borders, said Israel’s “deliberate use of starvation as a weapon” has reached unprecedented levels – with patients and healthcare workers both fighting to survive.

It claimed that, at one of its clinics in Gaza City, rates of severe malnutrition in children under five have trebled over the past two weeks – and described the lack of food and water on the ground as “unconscionable”.

Pic: Reuters
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Pic: Reuters

The charity also criticised the high number of fatalities seen at aid distribution sites, with one British surgeon accusing IDF soldiers of shooting civilians “almost like a game of target practice”.

MSF’s deputy medical coordinator in Gaza, Dr Mohammed Abu Mughaisib, said: “Those who go to the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation’s food distributions know that they have the same chance of receiving a sack of flour as they do of leaving with a bullet in their head.”

The UN also estimates that Israeli forces have killed more than 1,000 people seeking food – the majority near the militarised distribution sites of the US-backed aid distribution scheme run by the GHF.

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‘Many more deaths unless Israelis allow food in’

In a statement on Friday, the IDF had said it “categorically rejects the claims of intentional harm to civilians”, and reports of incidents at aid distribution sites were “under examination”.

The GHF has also previously disputed that these deaths were connected with its organisation’s operations, with director Johnnie Moore telling Sky News: “We just want to feed Gazans. That’s the only thing that we want to do.”

Israel says it has let enough food into Gaza and has accused the UN of failing to distribute it, in what the foreign ministry has labelled as “a deliberate ploy” to defame the country.

‘Humanitarian catastrophe must end’

In a video message posted on X late last night, Sir Keir Starmer condemned the scenes in Gaza as “appalling” and “unrelenting” – and said “the images of starvation and desperation are utterly horrifying”.

The prime minister added: “The denial of aid to children and babies is completely unjustifiable, just as the continued captivity of hostages is completely unjustifiable.

“Hundreds of civilians have been killed while seeking aid – children, killed, whilst collecting water. It is a humanitarian catastrophe, and it must end.”

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Israeli military show aid waiting inside Gaza

Sir Keir confirmed that the British government is now “accelerating efforts” to evacuate children from Gaza who need critical medical assistance, so they can be brought to the UK for specialist treatment.

Israel has now said that foreign countries will be able to airdrop aid into Gaza. While the PM says the UK will now “do everything we can” to get supplies in via this route, he said this decision has come “far too late”.

Read more:
WHO: Gaza faces ‘manmade’ starvation
UN: People in Gaza ‘walking corpses’

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Last year, the RAF dropped aid into Gaza, but humanitarian organisations warned it wasn’t enough and was potentially dangerous. In March 2024, five people were killed when an aid parachute failed and supplies fell on them.

For now, Sir Keir has rejected calls to follow French President Emmanuel Macron and recognise a Palestinian state despite more than 220 MPs signing a cross-party letter to demand he takes this step.

The prime minister is instead demanding a ceasefire and “lasting peace” – and says he will only consider an independent state as part of a negotiated peace deal.

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Israel allows foreign countries to parachute aid into Gaza

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Israel allows foreign countries to parachute aid into Gaza

Israel has said foreign countries can drop aid into Gaza from today.

A senior IDF official told Sky News on Friday: “Starting today, Israel will allow foreign countries to parachute aid into Gaza.

“Starting this afternoon, the WCK organisation began reactivating its kitchens.”

Humanitarian aid organisation World Central Kitchen paused its operation in Gaza in November after a number of its workers were killed in an Israeli airstrike last year.

Aid workers in Gaza – who help provide food, medicine and shelter for the millions displaced there – have been affected by the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas.

In recent weeks hundreds of Palestinians have been killed while waiting for food and aid.

This breaking news story is being updated and more details will be published shortly.

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‘Almost like a game of target practice’: British surgeon says IDF shooting Gazans at aid points

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'Almost like a game of target practice': British surgeon says IDF shooting Gazans at aid points

A British surgeon who recently returned from Gaza has told Sky News that there is “profound malnutrition” among the population – and claims IDF soldiers are shooting civilians at aid points “like a game of target practice”.

Dr Nick Maynard spent four weeks working inside Nasser Hospital, where a lack of food has left medics struggling to treat children and toddlers.

The conditions inside the hospital, in the south of the Strip, have been documented in a Sky News report.

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Malnourished girl: ‘The war changed me’

Dr Maynard told The World with Yalda Hakim: “I met several doctors who had cartons of formula feed in their luggage – and they were all confiscated by the Israeli border guards. Nothing else got confiscated, just the formula feed.

“There were four premature babies who died during the first two weeks when I was in Nasser Hospital – and there will be many, many more deaths until the Israelis allow proper food to get in there.”

Palestinians wait to receive food from a charity kitchen, amid a hunger crisis, in Gaza City, July 24, 2025. REUTERS/Khamis Al-Rifi
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Palestinians wait to receive food from a charity kitchen in Gaza City. Pic: Reuters

In other developments:

• Israel and the US have recalled their teams from Gaza ceasefire talks

• US envoy Steve Witkoff has accused Hamas “of failing to act in good faith”

• France has announced that it will recognise the state of Palestine

• An influential group of MPs is calling on the UK to “immediately” do the same

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‘Starvation used as a weapon’

‘They were shells’

Dr Nick Maynard has been going to Gaza for the past 15 years – and this is his third visit to the territory since the war began.

The British surgeon added that virtually all of the kids in the paediatric unit of Nasser Hospital are being fed with sugar water.

“They’ve got a small amount of formula feed for very small babies, but not enough,” he warned.

Dr Maynard said the lack of aid has also had a huge impact on his colleagues.

“I saw people I’d known for years and I didn’t recognise some of them,” he added. “Two colleagues had lost 20kg and 30kg respectively. They were shells, they’re all hungry.

“They’re going to work every day, then going home to their tents where they have no food.”

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Ex-Gaza aid worker claims personnel shot at Palestinians

IDF ‘shooting Gazans at aid points’

Elsewhere in the interview, Dr Maynard claimed Israeli soldiers are shooting civilians at aid points “almost like a game of target practice”.

He has operated on boys as young as 11 who had been “shot at food distribution points” run by the US and Israel-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation.

“They had gone to get food for their starving families and they were shot,” he said.

“I operated on one 12-year-old boy who died on the operating table because his injuries were so severe.”

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Gaza deaths increase when aid sites open

Dr Maynard continued: “What was even more distressing was the pattern of injuries that we saw, the clustering of injuries to particular body parts on certain days.

“One day they’d be coming in predominately with gunshot wounds to the head or the neck, another day to the abdomen.

“Twelve days ago, four young teenage boys came in, all of whom had been shot in the testicles and deliberately so.

“The clustering was far too obvious to be accidental, and it seemed to us like this was almost like a game of target practice.

“I would never have believed this possible unless I’d witnessed this with my own eyes.”

Palestinians are brought to Nasser Hospital after being shot by Israeli forces while gathering to receive bags of flour from aid trucks, according to hospital officials and eyewitnesses, in Khan Younis, Gaza Strip, on Thursday, July 24, 2025. (AP Photo/Mariam Dagga)
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Palestinians brought to Nasser Hospital after being shot by Israeli forces, according to hospital officials and eyewitnesses. Pic: AP

Sky News has contacted the Israeli Defence Forces for comment.

An IDF spokesperson previously told Sky News it “strongly rejected” the accusations that its forces were instructed to deliberately shoot at civilians.

“To be clear, IDF directives prohibit deliberate attacks on civilians,” the spokesperson said, adding that the incidents are “being examined by the relevant IDF authorities”.

Read more:
Medics at Nasser hospital struggle to feed children
Gaza food situation ‘worst its ever been’

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Israeli military show aid waiting inside Gaza

The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation has been managing the supply of aid to Gaza since Israel lifted an 11-week blockade in May.

It has four aid distribution sites, all of which are located in Israeli military zones, with journalists prohibited from entering.

More than 1,000 people have been reported killed while trying to receive food aid since the GHF took over, according to the UN.

UNRWA, its relief agency for Gaza, has heavily criticised the scheme.

Commissioner general Philippe Lazzarini said: “The so-called ‘GHF’ distribution scheme is a sadistic death trap. Snipers open fire randomly on crowds as if they are given a licence to kill.”

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Just a fraction of the aid trucks needed are making it into the enclave, the UN has said, while multiple aid groups and the World Health Organisation have warned Gazans are facing “mass starvation”.

Mr Lazzarini quoted a colleague on Thursday and said malnourished Palestinians in the Gaza “are neither dead nor alive, they are walking corpses”.

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