Pakistan’s capital city Islamabad has been turned into a garrison ahead of a march by the supporters of jailed former prime minister Imran Khan on September 27. Tens of thousands of security personnel have reportedly been deployed to man the streets, while major highways have been blocked with shipping containers.
The military-backed Pakistani government has also detained three of Khan’s sisters and hundreds of party activists in recent days, citing a need to maintain public order, Reuters reported.
On September 20, Khan’s Tehreek-e-Insaf Pakistan (PTI) claimed that the police had arrested Aleema Khan, the sister of Pakistan’s jailed ex-PM at her house in Lahore ahead of the march.
Khan’s PTI last held a large-scale protest two years ago which ended in deadly clashes between party supporters and security forces.
Two highways blocked, security beefed up
Nearly 35,000 additional police and paramilitary personnel have been deployed in and around the capital, an anonymous Interior Ministry official was quoted as saying. Security personnel have been deployed in other parts of Pakistan as the government fears that protesters may gather elsewhere also.
Further curbing movement around the federal capital, the authorities have reportedly sealed off two major highways linking Islamabad to the northwestern province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, governed by Khan’s party, Reuters reported, citing the National Highway Authority.
Shipping containers have reportedly been placed in to barricade Islamabad’s government district, home to parliament, the prime minister’s residence, and foreign embassies.
Also read: Pakistan PTI to hold September 27 protest for Imran Khan ‘at all costs’
Interior minister Mohsin Naqvi has also warned that police have been directed to respond forcefully if the march turned violent, adding, “It is not like that they come and they fire shots and you do nothing.”
The marches are reportedly expected to start from Karachi and Lahore to Islamabad, according to Al Jazeera.
Pak govt ‘preparing for invasion’
An editorial in Pakistani news outlet The Dawn criticised the heightened security measures and said it is as if the government is preparing for an invasion and not a political event. According to The Dawn, trenches have also been dug up and the authorities are arbitrarily arresting and detaining citizens, which includes Khan’s sisters.
“Given the rate at which containers are being laid out, trenches being dug and additional security requisitioned, it seems that the government is preparing not for a political event but an invasion. Even more concerning is the manner in which it has been arbitrarily arresting and detaining citizens, including Mr Khan’s sisters. This could turn an otherwise manageable political event into something much more confrontational,” The Dawn editorial said.
Hospitals prepare for ‘mass casualties’
Islamabad’s hospitals have reportedly been placed on emergency footing as authorities have made instructions to prepare for a potential “humanitarian crisis” and “mass casualty incident”, according to Dropsite News, an online news portal.
Also read: Jailed ex-Pakistan PM Imran Khan undergoes medical check-up amid concerns over health
Patients scheduled for surgeries were on Monday reportedly told that their procedures would be postponed, the report added, citing sources. All leaves for the hospital staffs have been cancelled and employees on leave have been called to duty with immediate effect.
The demand for Imran Khan’s release
The protesters are demanding Khan’s release who has been in Adiala jail, Rawalpindi since August 2023 over corruption charges, which his party has rebuffed as politically motivated.
Off late, concerns have been raised over his failing health as Khan, Pakistan’s World Cup winning cricketer, has reportedly lost most of the vision in his right eye. His sons – Kasim Khan (27) and Sulaiman Khan (29) – said in a recent interview that they were’ ‘deeply, deeply concerned’ about his health as they alleged that the prison conditions in which Imran has been kept amounted to “a form of mental and physical torture”.
They also accused army chief Asim Munir of a ‘personal vendetta’ as they alleged that their father is being ‘slowly killed’ in jail.
