PTI claims arrests, teargas shelling; Govt seals off Islamabad, blocks key roads; Internet, mobile services disrupted in major cities, including Karachi, Islamabad
Thousands of supporters of Pakistan’s jailed former prime minister, Imran Khan, marched toward Islamabad on Sunday to demand his release, among other political prisoners, prompting authorities to lock down the capital and partially suspend mobile internet services.
Imran has urged supporters of his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, or PTI, party to assemble at the capital’s D-Chowk public square and remain there until the government addresses their demands.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s coalition government has deployed tens of thousands of police and paramilitary forces in riot gear and blocked highways leading to Islamabad ahead of the opposition protest rally.
Police announced a ban on all gatherings in Islamabad leading up to the rally.
Authorities have also closed major roads in the capital, using shipping containers to prevent protesters from reaching the venue near the country’s parliament and Supreme Court buildings, among other key government installations.
“The protest location is a protected area in Islamabad. Any protesters who enter this area will be arrested,” Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi told reporters at the D-Chowk square on Sunday.
PTI leaders and supporters have vowed to reach the venue in Islamabad despite the security and communication clampdowns. Reports indicate that police fired tear gas shells at several rallies heading toward Islamabad.
“Khan has called on us to remain there until all our demands are met,” Ali Amin Gandapur, a central PTI leader and the chief minister of the northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, stated before departing for Islamabad as the head of a big rally.
“Live metrics show WhatsApp backends have been restricted in #Pakistan corroborating reports of media sharing issues,” Global internet watchdog NetBlocks said on X, formerly known as Twitter.
In an overnight statement, the interior ministry announced plans to shut down “mobile data and Wi-Fi service in areas with security concerns,” but did not elaborate.
“Internet and mobile services across the rest of the country will continue to operate normally,” the ministry spokesperson wrote on X.
Islamabad Pakistani police arrested several lawmakers on Sunday.
The lawmakers, including the chief whip of the main opposition, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) were arrested while on their way to the capital Islamabad from different districts of northeastern Punjab province, the party and police confirmed.
Thousands of PTI supporters gathered at the border of Punjab and northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa border to start marching toward the heavily fortified capital.
Former President Arif Alvi also joined the protesters in the Khyber Phaktunkhwa’s capital Peshawar to proceed towards Islamabad, the party announced in a video post on X.
Police placed containers at entry and exit points of Islamabad, Lahore, Rawalpindi, and other cities, mainly at the borders of northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province, which is governed by Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party, to hold off protesters.
Pictures shared by TV channels showed mostly deserted roads and people on motorbikes making their way from a narrow corner of a road blocked by trucks.
The PTI, in a post on X, claimed that the convoy of National Assembly opposition leader Omar Ayub was targeted near Taxila and shells were fired at it.
PTI MNA Sher Afzal Marwat shared a video of his brother Khalid Latif Khan saying his convoy was stopped at Daud Khel and was fired at with “strict teargas shelling”.
However, he asserted, “We will reach D Chowk in any circumstance.”
In another video, Khalid said that police had been shelling the convoy for over an hour and a half.
“We had to face heavy shelling for an hour-and-a-half to two hours,” he said. “Thankfully now, the path has been cleared and we should leave (for D Chowk) within an hour-and-a-half to two hours.”
