Pakistan’s capital city Islamabad has been turned into a garrison ahead of a march by the supporters of jailed former prime minister Imran Khan on September 27. Tens of thousands of security personnel have reportedly been deployed to man the streets, while major highways have been blocked with shipping containers.
Nearly 35,000 additional police and paramilitary personnel have been deployed in and around the capital, an anonymous Interior Ministry official was quoted as saying. The military-backed Pakistani government has also detained three of Khan’s sisters and hundreds of party activists in recent days, citing a need to maintain public order, Reuters reported.
Interior minister Mohsin Naqvi has also warned that police have been directed to respond forcefully if the march turned violent, adding, “It is not like that they come and they fire shots and you do nothing.” Security personnel have been deployed in other parts of Pakistan as the government fears that protesters may gather elsewhere also. Shipping containers have reportedly been placed in to barricade Islamabad’s government district, home to parliament, the prime minister’s residence, and foreign embassies.
The marches are reportedly expected to start from Karachi and Lahore to Islamabad, according to Al Jazeera. An editorial in Pakistani news outlet The Dawn criticised the heightened security measures and said it is as if the government is preparing for an invasion and not a political event. Trenches have also been dug up and the authorities are arbitrarily arresting and detaining citizens, which includes Khan’s sisters, according to The Dawn. This could turn an otherwise manageable political event into something much more confrontational,” The Dawn editorial said.
“Given the rate at which containers are being laid out, trenches being dug and additional security requisitioned, it seems that the government is preparing not for a political event but an invasion. Even more concerning is the manner in which it has been arbitrarily arresting and detaining citizens, including Mr Khan’s sisters.
