Pakistan is turning its capital into a garrison, deploying thousands of security personnel, blocking roads with shipping containers and banning public gatherings to prevent supporters of jailed former Prime Minister Imran Khan from marching on Parliament to demand his release.
Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf remains determined to press ahead on Sunday, setting up a confrontation with authorities who have detained his three sisters and lawmakers in a widening crackdown.
The demonstration threatens to reignite political tensions in the nuclear-armed nation, where Khan’s imprisonment and the sidelining of his party have fueled repeated standoffs with authorities. A large turnout — or clashes as supporters try to reach the capital — could disrupt business and transport and add to the pressures facing a government already contending with economic and security challenges.
An International Monetary Fund team is in Pakistan for a review of the country’s $7 billion bailout program, which has helped stabilize the economy after years of financial turmoil.
The mission began talks with the central bank in Karachi this week and is due to travel to Islamabad on Monday — a day after the planned protests for discussions with the government. That leg of the visit can go ahead if conditions in the capital are normal, The News reported, citing officials.
For now, about 1,000 shipping containers have been positioned as makeshift barricades across the capital and more than 22,000 security personnel will be deployed ahead of Sunday’s planned demonstrations, according to a police official who asked not to be identified. The official, who was not authorized to speak publicly, didn’t specify the reason for the roadblocks.
Shipping containers have a history with Khan, who has often climbed atop the makeshift barricades to rally supporters. The cricket star was standing on one during a protest march in 2022 when a gunman opened fire, wounding him in the leg.
Khan is serving a 14-year sentence in a corruption case. His family and lawyers have accused prison authorities of holding him in inhumane conditions, saying the former Prime Minister spends 23 hours a day in a small cell without natural light or contact with other prisoners. Pakistani authorities deny the allegations.
In the run-up to the Sunday protest, government ministers have openly vowed to stop the march. Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi said earlier this week that there was “no possibility” that the protestors would bring the country to a standstill.
The government has already closed major highways and other routes into the capital, including key links with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the northwestern province governed by Khan’s PTI.
Authorities have also imposed emergency restrictions under Section 144 across Islamabad for two months, banning gatherings of five or more people as well as rallies and demonstrations in public places, Pakistan’s Dawn reported.
Punjab has asked the federal government to deploy paramilitary Rangers in four districts, including Rawalpindi, to bolster security, Geo News reported. The province has also sought a mobile and internet shutdown ahead of the march.
PTI accused the government of using the powers to infringe its constitutional right to peaceful protest. “When we enter Islamabad, there will be a festive atmosphere, with Pakistan flags everywhere,” PTI Chairman Gohar Ali Khan told journalists.
Disclaimer: This report is auto generated from the Bloomberg news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.
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