ISLAMABAD: Life came to a standstill in Islamabad and Rawalpindi on Friday after Pakistani authorities suspended mobile phone and internet services, sealed all entry and exit points to the capital city with shipping containers, and shut schools to thwart a planned protest by the opposition Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) party.
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Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s govt also deployed Rangers, a paramilitary force, and additional police after incarcerated PTI chief Imran Khan refused to withdraw his call for the protest.
Pakistan’s CrPC Section 144, which allows the district administration to stop a gathering of more than four people, has been imposed in the twin cities. Dozens of PTI workers, including Imran’s sisters Aleema Khan, Naureen Khan and Uzma Khan, have been arrested amid intense tear gas shelling by police in Islamabad.
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Khan, meanwhile, called on his supporters again to reach Islamabad’s sealed D-Chowk, in front of parliament and the PM’s office, for a peaceful protest against a proposed constitutional amendment aimed at curtailing the judiciary’s independence. The planned constitutional amendment seems to extend the term of Chief Justice Qazi Faez Isa. According to PTI, PM Sharif’s administration feared that Isa’s successor, Justice Mansoor Ali Shah, may release Khan, who has been in jail since Aug last year, and speed up an audit of the Feb 2024 elections that brought the current govt to power despite allegations of widespread vote fraud.
“I want you all to reach D-Chowk Islamabad today (Friday October 4) for a peaceful protest,” Imran Khan said in a message posted on X.
“You should not be afraid of any kind of sacrifice for your freedom and do not retreat from it. Freedom is your right … Democracy and the rule of law have completely ended in our country, for which we have to fight hard,” the post said. “This war is in its decisive phase, by the grace of Allah we are winning the battle for our true freedom,” it added. Khan also urged those residing in Lahore to get ready for Saturday’s planned protest at Minar-i-Pakistan.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa CM Ali Amin Gandapur and other PTI lawmakers leading caravans of people have vowed to reach Islamabad’s D-Chowk despite being warned by interior minister Mohsin Naqvi not to hold any rally in the capital city due to several high-profile visits by foreign dignitaries. “We have state guests here and also other delegations. Then we have teams of other heads of states that are arriving here. We have to ensure their security at every cost,” Naqvi said. The PTI leaders, however, warned they would retaliate if stopped from entering Islamabad.
