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Pakistan’s Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi vowed on Sunday to “protect Islamabad” as thousands of supporters of former Prime Minister Imran Khan advanced towards the capital to protest, prompting stringent security measures, restricted mobile services, and internet shutdowns in select areas. The 72-year-old jailed former premier had issued a “final call” for nationwide protests on 24 November, denouncing the alleged “stolen mandate,” unjust arrests, and the passage of the 26th constitutional amendment, which he claimed had bolstered a “dictatorial regime.”
Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party urged the public to join the march to “break the shackles of slavery.” The protest is planned at D-Chowk, a high-security zone near key government establishments, including the Parliament, Prime Minister’s Office, and Supreme Court, news agency Press Trust of India reported.
PTI’s Islamabad Protest: Pakistan Interior Minister Reviews Security
Rangers, police, and Frontier Constabulary personnel have been stationed to monitor the area. Containers have been placed across Islamabad, blocking major routes, including Srinagar Highway, GT Road, and the Expressway, limiting access to D-Chowk, Islamabad Airport, and other strategic points.
Naqvi, inspecting the arrangements at D-Chowk, said, “One option is that we let them come and paralyse Islamabad. The other option is to protect Islamabad.” He warned that those attempting to march towards the capital would face arrests.
Criticising the protest’s timing, Naqvi noted that the demonstrators were blocking a route reserved for a visiting delegation from Belarus. “If you wish to protest, that is your right, but you know exactly who is coming, and you have been blocking off roads and causing trouble,” he remarked.
The federal government declared a public holiday for educational institutions in Islamabad and imposed Section 144, banning public gatherings since 18 November.
PTI supporters, including a convoy led by Khan’s wife Bushra Bibi and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur, began their journey from Peshawar. According to Geo News, Bibi will not attend the protest despite being part of the convoy.
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PTI’s Islamabad Protest: 18 Protestors Arrested In Rawalpindi As Metro Bus Services Suspended
Meanwhile, authorities arrested 16 protestors in Rawalpindi’s Faizabad area attempting to enter Islamabad. Opposition leader Omar Ayub Khan stated, “Convoys from Abbottabad and Mansehra will also travel with us,” reaffirming their mission to release the PTI founder.
Public transport, including metro bus services in Islamabad and Rawalpindi, has been suspended. Pakistan Railways halted train services between Lahore, Rawalpindi, and Peshawar. Internet monitoring agency Netblocks reported restrictions on WhatsApp backends in Pakistan.
Khan, imprisoned since last year and facing over 200 legal cases, has accused the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and its coalition partners of “stealing the mandate” in the February general elections. PTI, which contested independently after being denied an election symbol, emerged as the largest party in the polls.
Calling the protest a movement for “freedom and justice,” Khan urged the public to unite. PTI spokesperson Muhammad Ali Saif alleged government sabotage of protest equipment and warned of mass unrest akin to Bangladesh’s 1990 student-led revolution that toppled Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
