Pakistan is reinforcing security measures in its capital as tensions rise over the imprisonment of former Prime Minister Imran Khan. Authorities have deployed thousands of security personnel and are blocking roads with shipping containers to deter public gatherings. These actions aim to prevent Khan’s supporters from marching on Parliament to demand his release. The government’s crackdown comes amid escalating unrest and calls for political reform.
That leg of the visit can go ahead if conditions in the capital are normal, The News reported, citing officials. Punjab has asked the federal government to deploy paramilitary Rangers in four districts, including Rawalpindi, to bolster security, Geo News reported. 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. The official, who was not authorized to speak publicly, didn’t specify the reason for the roadblocks. Pakistani authorities deny the allegations. In the run-up to the Sunday protest, government ministers have openly vowed to stop the march. 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. The province has also sought a mobile and internet shutdown ahead of the march.
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. 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. 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.
Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi said earlier this week that there was “no possibility” that the protestors would bring the country to a standstill.
