Pakistani police detain two parliamentarians in swoop on ex-PM Khan's party

KARACHI (Reuters) - At least two parliamentarians were detained in late night swoops in Islamabad on members of the party of jailed former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan, party leaders and the police said.

Khan has been in jail since last year. His Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party won the most seats in a general election in February but a coalition of his rivals was able to form a government led by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.

Party leader Zulfikar Bukhari, a former minister, told journalists that among those picked up by police was PTI Chairman Gohar Khan. A third man, a senior PTI member, was also picked up from his office.

A spokesman for the Islamabad police confirmed the three detentions in a message to Reuters. There was no official statement on the details of the charges, or if they had been officially arrested.

The detentions came a day after PTI held a major political gathering on the outskirts of the city demanding Khan's release. Supporters also clashed with police en route to the gathering, in which a senior police official was injured, police said.

"Yesterday's massive protest has sent shivers down the government's spine," Bukhari said in a post on social media site X, calling the detentions illegal.

(Reporting by Gibran Peshimam; Editing by Sandra Maler)