Pakistan Blocks Highways, Erects Barriers Ahead of March to Free Imran Khan
Authorities have set up container barricades on routes to the capital as PTI supporters plan a protest march, Al Jazeera reports.
Pakistani authorities have blocked highways leading to the capital, Islamabad, and erected container barriers in preparation for a planned march by supporters of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party demanding the release of former prime minister Imran Khan, according to Al Jazeera.
The security measures come as PTI has called for demonstrations pressing for Khan's freedom, with the government's response reflecting what Al Jazeera described as a heightened source of anxiety among officials ahead of the planned march.
Container barricades — a tactic Pakistani authorities have used in the past during periods of political unrest — have reportedly been placed on routes into the capital to prevent protesters from reaching central Islamabad.
Imran Khan, who was removed from office in 2022, has remained in detention amid a series of legal cases that his party and supporters say are politically motivated. The report did not detail the specific security rationale authorities gave for blocking the highways ahead of this march.
The crackdown adds to a prolonged period of tension between the government and PTI, whose supporters have organized repeated demonstrations calling for Khan's release since his removal from office.
Further details on the scale of the security deployment and the timing of the planned march were not immediately available.
Sources
- ‘Source of anxiety’: Pakistan cracks down before march to free Imran Khan — Al Jazeera — All
EGazette summarizes reporting from multiple sources; follow the links for the originals.
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