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Pakistan Blocks Access to Capital Ahead of Khan Protest March
Confirmed
In Short: AFP and Arabnews (Saudi Arabia) reported that authorities in Pakistan's capital, Islamabad, blocked main access routes to the city with double-stacked shipping containers ahead of the planned demonstration, citing concerns over potential unrest.
Supporters of Pakistan's jailed former prime minister Imran Khan began a march from Lakki Marwat, a city 275 kilometers from Islamabad, on Sunday, as reported by the BBC (United Kingdom) and Bhaskar English (India). The march, which was initially scheduled for last week, was postponed to allow for talks between the government and Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party, but those talks ended in deadlock, according to the BBC (United Kingdom).
The BBC (United Kingdom) and Bhaskar English (India) both reported that the march was expected to resume on Monday after pausing for the night, with the BBC (United Kingdom) noting that the marchers had not officially announced their plans to reach Islamabad, while Bhaskar English (India) stated that the march would pass through Karak, Kohat, and Peshawar before potentially entering Punjab.
AFP and Arabnews (Saudi Arabia) reported that authorities in Pakistan's capital, Islamabad, blocked main access routes to the city with double-stacked shipping containers ahead of the planned demonstration, citing concerns over potential unrest. The BBC (United Kingdom) and Bhaskar English (India) also confirmed that the government had intensified its crackdown earlier in the week, detaining Khan's sisters and rounding up dozens of lawmakers and opposition activists.
According to the BBC (United Kingdom), Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi expects the march to reach a town about 80 kilometers west of Islamabad by Thursday, while Bhaskar English (India) reported that the march would continue through Tank, Dera Ismail Khan, South Waziristan, North Waziristan, Bannu, and Lakki Marwat.
The BBC (United Kingdom) and Bhaskar English (India) both noted that the marchers were carrying red and green flags of Khan's PTI party, and that thousands of people had taken to the streets to demand Khan's release. The BBC (United Kingdom) quoted Khan as saying that by the time the march reached Islamabad, it would have covered every corner of the country and every square would have become a center of activity.
AFP and Arabnews (Saudi Arabia) reported that the preventive 30-day detention orders issued by authorities accused them of mobilizing supporters via social media and inciting against state institutions. The BBC (United Kingdom) and Bhaskar English (India) both noted that the arrest order for Khan's sister, Khanum, stated that she had been mobilizing people to 'create law and order situations' and 'raising/chanting objectionable slogans against the Government'.
The BBC (United Kingdom) and Bhaskar English (India) both reported that the talks between the government and Khan's PTI party had failed mainly because the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government could not assure the Centre of its cooperation in the fight against terrorism. The BBC (United Kingdom) quoted Pakistan’s Minister of State for Interior, Talal Chaudhry, as saying that the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government had backed out of earlier commitments on counter-terrorism issues.
AFP and Arabnews (Saudi Arabia) reported that the government had deployed 22,000 security personnel to lock down Islamabad, barring entry and exit to neighboring Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. The BBC (United Kingdom) and Bhaskar English (India) both noted that the motorway was closed, and ordinary people were facing serious difficulties because of the situation.
What this adds
The sources have not established the exact number of marchers or the specific route the march will take to Islamabad. Additionally, the sources have not provided details on the potential impact of the march on local communities and the broader political landscape in Pakistan.
What's confirmed
- Authorities in Pakistan's capital blocked main access routes to the city with double-stacked shipping containers Thursday ahead of a weekend demonstration by supporters of jailed former prime minister Imran Khan.
- The preventive 30-day detention orders issued by authorities accused them of "mobilising supporters via social media and incitement against state institutions", according to an order seen by AFP journalists.
- PTI's information secretary Sheikh Waqas Akram said "almost 1,500" party activists had been detained.
- "The targeting of Imran Khan's family and PTI party activists is a flagrant violation of their rights to liberty, freedom of expression, association and peaceful assembly," said Babu Ram Pant from Amnesty International.
- "They do not have to come to Islamabad," Tarar told a press conference in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
- "No one will be allowed to shut down the city."
- Dozens of lawmakers, regional leaders, and opposition activists affiliated with Imran Khan's party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), were also rounded up across multiple districts in Punjab province and the capital, Islamabad.
- International human rights watchdogs have repeatedly expressed concern over increasing press censorship, mass arrests, and restrictions on fundamental freedoms in Pakistan amid the ongoing political impasse.
- "Such actions speak to the severity of the current restrictions in Pakistan."
What's still developing
- "Poor people depend on daily wages to earn a living, and with the current inflation, life has already become extremely difficult for them," he told AFP.
- Khan and his legal team reject the allegations, branding them as politically motivated cases aimed at neutralising his popularity.
- On 18 August, the Supreme Court ordered that Imran be shifted to a private hospital in Islamabad for medical examination and treatment.
- Shehbaz’s position will be in danger if march intensifies Avinash Mohanani, who served at the Indian High Commission in Pakistan, said pressure on the Shehbaz government would increase as Imran’s supporters’ long march enters Punjab from Khyber.