Islamabad: Thousands of supporters of Pakistan’s jailed former Prime Minister Imran Khan defied a lockdown and mass arrests on Monday, marching towards the capital to demand his release.
Khan, imprisoned for over a year and facing more than 150 criminal cases, remains widely popular. His party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), claims the charges are politically motivated.
The “long march” takes place ahead of a visit by Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko to Islamabad.
The convoy of protesters is expected to reach the capital later on Monday. Security officials anticipate 9,000-11,000 demonstrators, while PTI claims the number will be much higher.
Lockdown in Islamabad
The two-day lockdown has severely disrupted daily life, making travel between Islamabad and other cities nearly impossible. Ambulances and cars were seen turning back along the Grand Trunk Road in Punjab, where shipping containers were used to block the roads.
Footage circulating online showed some protesters, who had been traveling all night, operating heavy machinery to remove the containers.
“We are determined and we will reach Islamabad, though police are using tear gas to stop our march,” Kamran Bangash, a PTI senior leader, told to the agencies. “We will overcome all hurdles one by one, and our supporters are removing shipping containers from roads.”
Bangash also said Khan’s wife, Bushra Bibi, who was recently released on bail in a graft case, will lead the march along with Ali Amin Gandapur, the chief minister in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province where Khan’s party remains in power.
Almost 50 kilometers (31 miles) away from Islamabad, Bibi, wearing a white head-to-toe burqa, addressed protesters while sitting in a truck, urging them to remain determined to “achieve their goal” and free Khan. She then chanted, “God is great” and left.
Government in Action
Khan’s main political opponent, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, heads the current government.
Sharif’s spokesman, Attaullah Tarar, said on Sunday that whenever any high-profile foreign delegation comes to Pakistan, the PTI “begins the politics of long marches and onslaught on Islamabad to harm the economy.”
In a bid to foil the protest, police have arrested more than 4,000 Khan supporters since Friday and suspended mobile and internet services “in areas with security concerns,” which the PTI said affected the efficacy of its call for protest on social media. On Thursday, a court prohibited rallies in the capital and Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi said anyone violating the ban would be arrested.
Some economists say protests cause billions of rupees in damages to the country’s fragile economy.
Protesters on Sunday night burned trees as police fired tear gas to disperse crowds. Khan supporters retaliated by using slingshots and pelting security personnel with rocks.
Authorities say only courts can order the release of Khan, who was ousted in 2022 through a no-confidence vote in Parliament. He has been imprisoned since his first conviction in a graft case, in August 2023.
Khan has also been sentenced in several cases, including to three years, 10 years, 14 years and seven years to be served concurrently under Pakistani law. His convictions were later overturned on appeal but he cannot be freed due to other pending cases against him.
(with agency inputs)
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