ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s capital turned into placed under a safety lockdown on Sunday beforehand of protests by way of supporters of jailed former Prime Minister Imran Khan calling for his launch. Highways leading to Islamabad through which supporters of Khan, led by using participants of his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) birthday party, are anticipated to technique the metropolis and gather close to the parliament, were blocked. Most essential roads of the town have additionally been blocked by way of the government with transport bins and big contingents of police and paramilitary employees have been deployed in rebel tools, even as cell telephone services had been suspended. Gatherings of any kind have been banned underneath prison provisions, the Islamabad police stated in a assertion. Global net watchdog NetBlocks stated on X, formerly known as Twitter, that stay metrics confirmed WhatsApp messaging services were restrained beforehand of the protests. A key Khan resource, Ali Amin Gandapur, who is the chief minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province and is predicted to guide the largest convoy into Islamabad, referred to as on people to accumulate close to the doorway of the city’s crimson region, known as “D Chowk”. Islamabad’s red sector houses the u . S . A .’s parliament building, crucial authorities installations, in addition to embassies and overseas institutions’ workplaces. “Khan has known as on us to stay there until all our demands are met,” he stated in a video message on Saturday. The PTI’s needs include the release of all its leaders, along with Khan, as well as the resignation of the contemporary government because of what it says was a rigged election this 12 months. Khan has been in prison on the grounds that August last 12 months and, in view that being voted out of electricity by parliament in 2022, faces a number of costs ranging from corruption to instigation of violence. He and his party deny all the expenses. “These regular protests are destroying the economy and developing instability … We want the political management to sit down together and remedy these subjects,” Muhammad Asif, 35, a resident of Islamabad said in front of a closed marketplace. The remaining protest in Islamabad by PTI in early October grew to become violent with one policeman killed, dozens of security employees injured and protesters arrested. Both sides accused the other of instigating the clashes.
