ISLAMABAD: Pakistani authorities have sealed national highways and motorways across the country ahead of a protest rally organized by jailed former Prime Minister Imran Khan in Islamabad on Sunday. Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party.
The main objective of PTI’s protest is to pressure the government to end Imran’s more than a year-long imprisonment on charges his party claims are politically motivated. Apart from this, he wants to speak against the manipulation of the party General Election on 8 February and seeks measures to protect judicial independence, which it claims is compromised by the 26th Constitutional Amendment. The government is denying this.
PM Shehbaz Sharif’s administration has vowed to crack down on the PTI’s show of power with full force and has warned of arrest if anyone comes out to join the demonstration.
The government has deployed security forces, enforced a broad ban on gatherings, blocked all roads with shipping containers in the twin cities of Islamabad and Rawalpindi, and launched a crackdown on opposition leaders and activists to quell protests.
According to the police, 6,325 Islamabad Police personnel, along with 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 prevent the PTI from protesting. . Entering the capital city.
Responding to criticism of sealing off Islamabad and blocking major highways and motorways, Defense Minister Khawaja Asif described the actions as a “lesser evil”, arguing that allowing protesters into the capital could cause more destruction.
However, Ali Amin Gandapur, CM of PTI in northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, reiterated his call to all Pakistanis to join the protest. “It is imperative for us to leave our homes to protest the illegal imprisonment of Imran Khan,” he declared in a video message. “We all have to reach Islamabad and not leave until our demands are met,” he added, adding that the PTI wanted Khan’s release along with the return of his mandate in the last general election, which the party said was rigged to keep him out of power. was done. .
“Since the protest call is from Imran Khan, we will not back down until our demands are met,” he promised.
Earlier this year, Pakistan’s parliament passed a law regulating public demonstrations in the capital, including designated protest areas and specific times for rallies. According to the law, violators face imprisonment of up to three years for unlawful assembly and up to 10 years for repeat offences.
