The government in Pakistan has put the capital in lockdown as tens of thousands of supporters of jailed former prime minister Imran Khan march towards Islamabad to demand his release.
Authorities increased security measures, blocking roads in Islamabad and shut down major routes and highways connecting to the capital city on Sunday.
The government also suspended mobile and internet services in many parts of the country.
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“Internet and mobile services will continue to operate as usual in the rest of the country,” government authorities however claimed.
Khan’s supporters rely heavily on social media and messaging platforms like WhatsApp and X to communicate and organize.
“If any protester comes, he should be arrested immediately,” Federal Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi announced.
Despite the warnings issued by government authorities, Khan’s defiant supporters are heading towards Islamabad.
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“God willing, we will stay on the streets and continue to struggle for our rights, until the return of the rights of the people of Pakistan, who have been robbed of the mandate of the Pakistani people,” one protester, Syed Mati Ullah Shah, told media.
Khan has been charged in over 150 criminal cases by the military-backed government. He has been in prison for more than a year.
His political party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), claims the charges filed against their leader are politically motivated.
PTI strongholds are considered to be the provinces of Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
In the meantime, sectarian violence triggered by a terrorist attack on Shia travelers in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, near the Pakistan-Afghanistan border, has left at least 82 people dead and 156 more injured in past days, a local official said on Sunday. The travelers were killed on Thursday in a terrorist attack on a van convoy near Parachinar.
“The clashes and convoy attacks on November 21, 22, and 23 have resulted in 82 fatalities and 156 injuries,” said a local administration official speaking on condition of anonymity.
Around 300 families fled on Saturday as the gunfights with both light and heavy weapons continued into the night, however, no fresh casualties were reported on Sunday morning.
“The mobile network across Kurram remains suspended and traffic on the main highway is halted,” said the local administration official.