Pakistan capital at standstill as Khan supporters protest
2 Min Read
On Friday, PTI activists began driving to Islamabad from his power base in northern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province but were confronted by shipping container barriers and tear gas canisters.
-
Security personnel detain supporters of imprisoned former Prime Minister Imran Khan's party Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf during a protest in Islamabad, Pakistan on October 4, 2024. (AP)
Pakistan's capital was closed down on Saturday, surrounded by security forces and with mobile internet cut off as supporters of imprisoned former Prime Minister Imran Khan stormed the streets in protest.
Khan was forbidden from running in the February elections, which were plagued by claims of cheating and hampered by hundreds of court proceedings.
However, his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party has defied the crackdown by holding frequent demonstrations against the government. On Friday, PTI activists began driving to Islamabad from the power base in northern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province but were confronted by shipping container barriers and tear gas canisters.
On Saturday, scattered convoys drove into Islamabad, defying the government's approval of soldiers for street deployment, claiming the need to provide security ahead of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) meeting, which begins on October 15.
"I am so proud of all our people," Khan wrote in a statement post on X on Saturday afternoon. "You showed unfaltering resilience and courage as you came out yesterday and overcame unbelievable obstacles."
I am so proud of all our people. Thank you for keeping the faith. You showed unfaltering resilience and courage as you came out yesterday & overcame unbelievable obstacles to keep marching forward towards D Chowk.
— Imran Khan (@ImranKhanPTI) October 5, 2024
You fought through the fascist govt’s endless shelling and…
Protests were also scheduled on Saturday in Lahore, but the key freeway connecting the eastern megacity to the capital was closed.
Amnesty International underlined that communications cutbacks and roadblocks "infringe on people's right to freedom of expression, access to information, peaceful assembly, and movement."
"These restrictions are part of a worrying clampdown on the right to protest in Pakistan," Amnesty warned.
The social media platform X has also been blocked in Pakistan since the election when mobile internet was also disrupted on polling day, and the PTI claims significant vote manipulation occurred.
Khan was prime minister from 2018 until 2022 when he was deposed in a parliamentary no-confidence vote after clashing with Pakistan's strong military establishment, which is seen as the country's political power brokers.
As opposition leader, he launched an extraordinary campaign of resistance before being embroiled in a succession of court proceedings, which he alleges were staged to prevent his return to office.
