Opposition protesters march towards Pakistani capital as overseas support pours in for ex-premier

By Riyaz ul Khaliq

ISTANBUL (AA) - Thousands of supporters of former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan are marching toward the capital Islamabad amid protests and demonstrations in more than two dozen countries.

Khan, founder of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), called for nationwide protest rallies and asked people to descend to the capital to seek the return of the “looted” mandate in the wake of alleged rigging of the Feb. 8 general election, release of political prisoners as well as undoing of the controversial changes into the South Asian nation’s judiciary.

Since Sunday, protesters began marching towards Islamabad, which has been fortified with heavy security deployment, including paramilitary Rangers, and continued on Monday.

Accompanied by Khan’s wife Bushra Bibi Khyber, Pakhtunkhwa Province Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur was among the demonstrators, according to videos shared by the PTI on its social media.

Amid heavy crackdown on Khan's supporters, new police cases have been filed against former President Arif Alivi, Gandapur, Bibi and other PTI leaders.

The Pakistani government denies allegations by Khan about fraud in elections as well as cases filed against Khan and the PTI members, which the party says are “bogus.”

The government has closed educational institutions in Islamabad while all motorways, and roads leading to Islamabad have been blocked as authorities placed thousands of commercial containers on the roads.

In many places, roads were dug up, as well as trucks and heavy stones were placed on highways to block the rallies but protesters were seen clearing up the roads to continue march.

The government has threatened them that it would deal with all those entering Islamabad with a heavy hand after it imposed restrictions on the assembly of four or more than four people in the capital.

More than 4,000 PTI supporters have already been detained in Pakistan's biggest province of Punjab alone, to thwart a march to the capital, according to media reports.

Khan, 72, asked his supporters to reach Islamabad, camp there, and not return home without the government acceding to the PTI’s demands.

The PTI has held dozens of such nationwide rallies and demonstrations since Khan was ousted from power in April 2022.

The so-called final call by Khan for Nov. 24 was also supported by thousands of overseas Pakistanis in more than two dozen nations, according to the PTI.

Thousands of Pakistani expats and their supporters assembled in the European nations as well as the US, Canada, and Australia to seek the release of Khan, who has been in jail since August last year.

Italy and the UK saw the biggest rallies in support of Khan and his PTI, according to the videos of the demonstrations shared on the party's social media.