Pakistan closes roads to Islamabad ahead of planned protests advocating for the release of Imran Khan.
As political tensions rise in Pakistan, authorities are taking strategic measures to prevent supporters of former Prime Minister Imran Khan from marching into Islamabad. With Khan’s party contesting the legitimacy of his jailing, the standoff highlights not only the challenges of political dissent but also the deep-rooted public sentiment surrounding democracy and constitutional rights in the country.
In Pakistan, authorities have initiated road closures into the capital, Islamabad, to thwart a planned march by supporters of the jailed former Prime Minister Imran Khan. Police confirmed on Wednesday that key routes, including the Islamabad-Peshawar Motorway, the Islamabad-Dera Ismail Khan Motorway, and the Grand Trunk Road, would be sealed at multiple points starting in the evening. Citizens have been urged to adjust their travel plans accordingly.
The closures are reportedly indefinite, aimed at curbing the mobilization efforts of Khan’s party, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), in advance of their demonstration scheduled for September 27. Supporters are demanding the release of Khan, who has been imprisoned since August 2023 following a series of convictions that his party contends are politically motivated. Most of these convictions have since been suspended or overturned on appeal, further intensifying public concern regarding the motivations behind his imprisonment.
Health concerns for Khan have also sparked protests, as supporters highlight issues related to his well-documented eye condition, which has necessitated specialized treatment for several months. The planned marches are expected to embark from Karachi, located around 1,150 kilometers (715 miles) to the southwest, and from Lahore, approximately 270 kilometers (170 miles) to the southeast.
In anticipation of the protests, authorities have deployed around 2,000 shipping containers to block key access points in and around the capital and Attock Bridge, a vital crossing from the northwestern province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Additionally, nearly 30,000 security personnel have been mobilized in the Attock district to maintain order.
Al Jazeera’s Kamal Hyder reports from Islamabad that the government has called on the PTI to reconsider its plans. Despite this, the party maintains that staging a peaceful protest is their constitutional right and seeks to draw attention to their campaign for Khan’s release. Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi has cautioned the PTI against proceeding with their protest, asserting that such actions will not yield desirable results.
On a related note, authorities arrested Khan’s sister, Aleema Khan, at her home in Lahore under a public order law, alongside two other sisters and several relatives, raising further alarms regarding the treatment of dissenters in the nation. Jamaat-e-Islami, another opposition party, initiated its own march from Karachi to Islamabad to protest high fuel prices. The leader of that party warned of escalating tensions should the government fail to address issues related to petroleum taxation, although the march was postponed at the request of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif for discussions.
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