Political unrest paralyses Pakistan as protesters converge on capital

A South Asian city has gone into lockdown as supporters of its jailed ex-PM descend on the capital.

Protesters and police have clashed outside Pakistan’s captial as supporters of jailed ex-Prime Minister Imran Khan converge on the the city.

One police officer was shot and killed, at least 119 others were injured, and 22 police vehicles were torched, Reuters reports, as clashes turned violent on a western motorway at entrance to Islamabad, and in other areas of the Punjab province, on Tuesday morning.

The capital has been locked down since late Saturday in anticipation of the protests, after Mr Khan and his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party called for supporters to march into the heart of Islamabad.

They are demanding Mr Khan’s release, alongside protesting alleged tampering in the February polls and a recent government-backed constitutional amendment giving it more power over the courts, where the former PM is tangled in dozens of cases.

Supporters of Imran Khan shouting slogans as they march towards Islamabad after clearing shipping containers placed by authorities. Picture: Aamir Qureshi/AFP

More than 20,000 baton-armed riot police have swarmed the streets, with schools, universities and businesses closed from fear of violence. Mobile internet is being cut sporadically, while entry and exit points to the city have been blocked by shipping containers.

The demonstrators intend to camp at D-Chowk, a high-security area in Islamabad’s Red Zone. The area is home to several key government buildings including the parliament of Pakistan and the country’s Supreme Court.

Mr Khan’s wife, Bushra Bibi, and a key aide, Ali Amin Gandapur, who is the chief minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, are leaders of the main convoy.

Ms Bibi was released from jail last month, incarcerated on the same corruption charges faced by her husband.

She claims she will “stand until her last breath,” the BBC reports. “This is not just about my husband but about this country and its leader,” she said.

Mr Khan was barred from standing in February elections that were marred by allegations of rigging, sidelined by dozens of legal cases that he claims were confected to prevent his comeback.

His PTI party has defied a government crackdown with regular demonstrations aiming to seize public spaces in Islamabad and other large cities.

Imran Khan (centre right) was sentenced to 10 years in prison on January 30, 2024. Picture: Arif Ali/AFP

Who is Imran Khan?

PTI’s chief demand is the release of Mr Khan, the 72-year-old charismatic cricket-star-turned-politician who served as premier from 2018 to 2022 and is the lodestar of their party.

Mr Khan was ousted by a no-confidence vote after falling out with the kingmaking military establishment, who analysts say engineer the rise and fall of Pakistan’s politicians.

PTI won more seats than any other party in this year’s election but a coalition of parties considered more pliable to military influence shut them out of power.

Despite being jailed since August 2023, facing a procession of legal accusations ranging from illegal marriage to graft and inciting riots, Khan remains hugely popular among the Pakistani public.

The demonstrations demand Khan's release. The jailed ex-PM remains highly popular in the country. Picture: Aamir Qureshi/AFP

What is the impact of the Islamabad protests?

“From the scale of preparations, one wonders if the Islamabad Police is preparing for war,” said an editorial in the English-language Dawn newspaper last week.

“The city administration may have intended to demonstrate strength by sharing the plans it has made, but instead, it looks like it is panicking.”

The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan said “blocking access to the capital, with motorway and highway closures across Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, has effectively penalized ordinary citizens”.

Earlier this year, the country was given a $7 billion bailout package from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to help stabilise the economy, which is now set to take a hit, with the country’s entire motorway system, from north to south, being blocked as a result of the protest, disrupting transportation and key supply chains, Al Jazeera reports.

– With AFP.