Pakistan locks down the capital to quell Imran Khan rally
The government of Pakistan has locked down Islamabad, cutting off the main highways and shutting down social media, as tens of thousands of supporters of jailed ex-prime minister Imran Khan headed to the capital demanding his release.
The march to Islamabad began on Friday, after the cricketer-turned-politician called on his supporters to remain undeterred in their demands for his quick release. By Monday evening, at least one police officer had been reported killed and 70 wounded in clashes with protesters outside Islamabad, while thousands of demonstrators had been detained.
As has become standard when protests erupt in Pakistan, the authorities announced that all public gatherings were banned, blocked major roads and highways with shipping containers, and deployed thousands of police and paramilitary forces.
Access to social media and messaging platforms like Instagram and WhatsApp was also cut off, with the authorities warning that a total internet blackout could be next.
Police sources, speaking to international media, said they had arrested more than 400 members of Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party, which the government banned from taking part in last February’s general elections. Bushra Bibi, Khan’s wife and Pakistan’s former first lady, was also spotted leading one of the rallies. Khan’s two sisters were arrested in protests last month.
Khan, who has been detained for more than a year, faces more than 150 criminal charges, which his supporters say are politically motivated.
There have also been claims that the US embassy used its influence to end Khan’s rule as prime minister in 2022.
To his supporters, the Oxford-educated Khan is seen as a major challenger to the dynastic strangleholds the Bhutto and Sharif families have had on Pakistan’s government since the 1970s.
But the PTI protests aren’t the only demonstrations that have been bringing Pakistanis to the streets. Read more about Pakistan’s protest problem here:
Pakistan has a protest problem
Protesting a range of issues from enforced disappearances to rising taxes, those taking to the streets are being met by fierce state crackdowns.
