Islamabad sealed ahead of Imran Khan’s party PTI protest

ISLAMABAD: Pakistani authorities have sealed national highways and motorways across the country ahead of a protest rally in Islamabad planned for Sunday by jailed former prime minister Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party.

PTI’s protest is primarily aimed at putting pressure on the govt to end Imran’s more than one-year-long incarceration on what his party claims are politically motivated allegations. In addition, the party wants to speak out against the manipulation of the Feb 8 general elections and demand steps to protect judicial independence, which it claims has been compromised by the 26th Constitutional Amendment. The govt denies this.

PM Shehbaz Sharif’s administration has vowed to suppress PTI’s power show with full force and has warned of arrests if anyone comes out to join the demonstration.

Govt has deployed security forces, enforced a sweeping ban on gatherings, blocked all roads with shipping containers in the twin cities of Islamabad and Rawalpindi, and launched a crackdown on leaders and workers of the opposition party in a bid to stop the protest.

According to police 6,325 officers of the Islamabad police, alongside 21,500 personnel from other forces — 5,000 Rangers (paramilitary force), 5,500 Frontier Constabulary (FC) personnel, 9,000 Punjab police personnel, and 2,000 Sindh police personnel have been deployed to stop PTI protesters from entering the capital city.

Responding to criticism over sealing Islamabad and blocking main highways and motorways, defence minister Khawaja Asif described these actions as a “lesser evil”, arguing that allowing protesters into the capital could result in greater devastation.

However, Ali Amin Gandapur, PTI’s CM of northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, reiterated the call to all Pakistanis to join the protest. “It is imperative for us to leave our homes to protest the illegal incarceration of Imran Khan,” he proclaimed in a video message. “We all have to reach Islamabad and not leave until our demands are met,” he continued, saying PTI wanted Khan’s release along with the return of its mandate in the last general election, which the party said was rigged to keep it out of power.

“Since the protest call is from Imran Khan, we will not go back until our demands are met,” he vowed.

Earlier this year Pakistan’s parliament had passed legislation regulating public demonstrations in the capital, including designated protest areas and specific timings for rallies. Violators, according to the law, risk imprisonment of up to three years for illegal gatherings and up to 10 years for repeat offences.