Leaders of Imran Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party have committed to a nationwide demonstration to demand the former prime minister's release. This comes as the government has deployed tens of thousands of police to Islamabad, barricaded highways, and issued arrest warrants to try and stop the march.
The state has implemented extensive measures to prevent the PTI march, which is scheduled to take place over the weekend. These actions follow increasing concerns regarding Khan's treatment; he has been imprisoned since 2023 on corruption charges.
Deliberations were ongoing among PTI leaders on Friday regarding whether to begin the march on Sunday and proceed slowly towards Islamabad or to postpone it until next week. Sohail Afridi, chief minister of Khan's home province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, stated the PTI would proceed with the march unless the government made significant concessions concerning Khan's treatment and jail conditions, including a fair hearing for his cases.
The government has deployed tens of thousands of security officials to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and closed the main highway connecting Peshawar to Islamabad. More than 1,000 shipping containers, many fortified with spikes, have been used to blockade roads, and public gatherings have been banned in Islamabad, with 22,000 police and other security personnel deployed across the capital.