When he first became prime minister, Mr Khan's opponents accused him of having a cosy relationship with Pakistan's powerful military. Some even accused the military of rigging the election in his favour, which the electoral commission denied. The PTI leader, Shah Mahmood Qureshi, said the party was working to secure Khan’s release and would not be deterred by arrests and intimidation. He confirmed the PTI had approached the supreme court to challenge the legality of Khan’s detention. He lost their support and many of his coalition partners with him also slipped away, thinking that he may not be in power," he said. As per the Jail Manual, the PTI chairman would be provided the facilities of TV, newspaper, and servant in the jail, according to the sources.

Members of Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party called the former prime minister’s arrest a “state abduction” and said the makeshift hearing in the police station was a “kangaroo court”, claiming senior lawyers and figures from the party were being prevented from meeting Khan.He was a young boy who was very smart and all the girls from universities were after him, but I never thought about him in this way.

Mr Khan sold himself and the PTI as a party of "change", saying he was distinct from the elite political class and promising to eliminate corruption.But Islamic militancy rose in Pakistan during Mr Khan's reign and he was widely criticised for calling Osama Bin Laden a martyr in 2020. Insp Gen Akbar Nasir Khan, of Islamabad police, urged calm and said the situation in Islamabad was normal. However, in an attempt to prevent protest, a section 144 was imposed in the city to prevent gatherings of more than five people and internet was cut off in some areas.