Thousands of Imran Khan supporters defy tear gas, lockdown and arrest to head to Pakistani capital

The lockdown, which has been successful spot for 2 days, has disrupted regular life. Travel betwixt Islamabad and different cities has go astir impossible. Ambulances and cars were seen turning backmost from areas on the cardinal Grand Trunk Road road successful Punjab province, wherever shipping containers were utilized to artifact roads.

Footage circulating online showed immoderate protesters, who had been traveling each night, operating dense machinery to region the containers. “We are determined and we volition scope Islamabad, though constabulary are utilizing teardrop state to halt our march,” Kamran Bangash, a PTI elder leader, told The Associated Press.

“We volition flooded each hurdles 1 by one, and our supporters are removing shipping containers from roads.”Bangash besides said Khan’s wife, Bushra Bibi, who was precocious released connected bail successful a graft case, volition pb the march on with Ali Amin Gandapur, the main curate successful Khyber Pakhtunkhwa state wherever Khan’s enactment remains successful power.

Almost 50 kilometers (31 miles) distant from Islamabad, Bibi, wearing a achromatic head-to-toe burqa, addressed protesters portion sitting successful a truck, urging them to stay determined to “achieve their goal” and escaped Khan. She past chanted, “God is great” and left. Khan’s main governmental opponent, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, heads the existent government.

Sharif’s spokesman, Attaullah Tarar, said connected Sunday that whenever immoderate high-profile overseas delegation comes to Pakistan, the PTI “begins the authorities of agelong marches and onslaught connected Islamabad to harm the economy.” Some economists accidental protests origin billions of rupees successful damages to the country’s fragile economy.

Protesters connected Sunday nighttime burned trees arsenic constabulary fired teardrop state to disperse crowds. Khan supporters retaliated by utilizing slingshots and pelting information unit with rocks. In a bid to foil the protest, constabulary person arrested much than 4,000 Khan supporters since Friday and suspended mobile and net services “in areas with information concerns,” which the PTI said affected the efficacy of its telephone for protestation connected societal media.

On Thursday, a tribunal prohibited rallies successful the superior and Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi said anyone violating the prohibition would beryllium arrested. Authorities accidental lone courts tin bid the merchandise of Khan, who was ousted successful 2022 done a no-confidence ballot successful Parliament.

He has been imprisoned since his archetypal condemnation successful a graft case, successful August 2023. Khan has besides been sentenced successful respective cases, including to 3 years, 10 years, 14 years and 7 years to beryllium served concurrently nether Pakistani law. His convictions were aboriginal overturned connected entreaty but helium cannot beryllium freed owed to different pending cases against him.