Pakistan jails over 4,000 Imran Khan supporters ahead of Islamabad rally | Imran Khan News

Thousands of supporters of the former Prime Minister marched in the capital, demanding his release from prison and the resignation of the government.

Thousands of supporters of Imran Khan have been arrested by police as the Pakistani capital remains on lockdown ahead of a rally demanding the release of the jailed former prime minister and the resignation of the current government.

Shahid Nawaz, the security chief in the eastern province of Punjab, said on Monday that police had arrested more than 4,000 Khan supporters, including five MPs.

In a press conference, the Minister of Interior, Mohsin Naqvi, said that the authorities will arrest many of Khan’s followers if they reach the Islamabad Red Zone, which is closed to protect government buildings.

“Whoever reaches it will be arrested,” he said.

Naqvi said security measures were in place to protect civilians and property, accusing Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party of disrupting people and businesses.

Earlier on Monday, hundreds of Khan’s supporters began their march to Islamabad, reaching the outskirts of the capital, according to officials and his party.

Videos posted on social media show Khan’s allies, rallying the crowd and urging them to move forward. A lot of cars were also seen.

In Peshawar, Khan’s supporters were in jubilant mood, with PTI workers dancing, beating drums and holding up portraits of their leader as the vehicles headed for Islamabad.

Khan’s wife Bushra Bibi and her aide Ali Amin Gandapur, who is the chief minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, led the rally outside Islamabad on Sunday night, PTI said.

Khan has been in jail for more than a year and faces more than 150 criminal charges. But he is still popular and his party has described the cases as politically motivated.

Authorities have cordoned off Islamabad with shipping containers since Saturday and blocked major roads and highways connecting the city with PTI strongholds in the provinces of Punjab and northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to prevent Khan’s supporters from reaching Islamabad.

The protest march, which Khan described as a “last call”, is one of many his party has been holding to demand his release. The group’s last protests in Islamabad in early October turned violent.

Deletion of communications

Earlier, on Sunday, Pakistan suspended mobile and internet services in “security-challenged areas”.

But Naqvi, the interior minister, denied suspending mobile services, saying only mobile data was affected.

Meanwhile, telecommunications company Nayatel sent out emails offering customers “reliable landline service” as a way to fix areas suffering from suspended mobile service.

Khan’s supporters rely heavily on social media to garner support for his release and use messaging platforms such as WhatsApp to share information, including details of events.

The government, however, is blocking social networks and targeting private network (VPN) services, according to internet advocacy group Netblocks.

The US embassy in Islamabad has issued a security alert for Americans in the capital, urging them to avoid large gatherings and warning that “even peaceful gatherings can turn violent”.

Khan was voted out of office by parliament in 2022 after falling out with Pakistan’s powerful military.

The military plays a major role in politics and decides who will rule the South Asian nation of 241 million people.