Al Jazeera :
Pakistan’s capital has been placed under a security lockdown to prevent supporters of jailed former Prime Minister Imran Khan from marching to Islamabad as part of the nationwide protests to seek his release.
Authorities suspended mobile and internet services in “areas which present security concerns”, and blocked highways leading to Islamabad in advance of the nationwide “final call” protests organised by the
opposition Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party.
Most major roads of Islamabad have also been blocked by the government with shipping containers and large contingents of police and paramilitary personnel have been deployed in riot gear to halt the march from reaching the parliament.
Gatherings of any sort have been banned under legal provisions, the Islamabad police said in a statement.
The PTI’s demands include the release of all its leaders, including Khan, as well as the resignation of the current government led by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in the wake of what it says was a rigged election earlier this year.
“Khan has called on us to remain there till all our demands are met,” Ali Amin Gandapur, a key Khan aide and chief minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, said in a video message on Saturday.
Gandapur is expected to lead the largest convoy into Islamabad, calling on people to gather near the entrance of the city’s red zone, known as “D Chowk”.
Islamabad’s red zone houses the country’s parliament building, important government installations, as well as embassies and foreign institutions’ offices.
“Elaborate security arrangements have been put in place to stop the protesters, some of whom have already been arrested.
“Reports we are getting that supporters of the former prime minister are coming from across the country, some of them even crossed a river by dinghies and boats because key bridges are blocked.
“So, it is anticipated that there would be a large crowd of protesters. How security is going to deal with them is another question,” he said.
Pakistani authorities in a post on X late on Saturday, said communication services will continue to operate normally in the rest of the country. They did not specify what areas would be affected, nor did they say how long the suspension would be in place.
