PTI convoys march to Islamabad amid police crackdown
Pakistan
Sheikh Waqas Akram has confirmed that Bushra Bibi is also part of the PTI protest convoy
PESHAWAR (Dunya News) – Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) main convoy from Peshawar, led by Bushra Bibi, wife of Imran Khan, and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur, has reached Hazro Interchange en route to Islamabad for a protest.
In anticipation of PTI’s protest, the government has sealed major routes to Islamabad. Key roads leading to the capital have been blocked with containers, including Srinagar Highway at Zero Point and Expressway near Khanna Pul.
Access to the airport and Faizabad to Islamabad routes has also been cut off, leaving commuters stranded.
Meanwhile, Sheikh Waqas Akram confirmed that Bushra Bibi is also part of the PTI protest convoy, and she is traveling in a separate vehicle.
In a post on social media website X, he wrote that the convoy, led by Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur, has already set off towards Islamabad.
He added that Bushra Bibi, traveling alongside party workers, could not leave workers alone at this crucial moment. She emphasised that if PTI expected families to join the workers in the protest, then Imran Khan's family would be the first to lead by example.
According to Akram, she expressed the confidence that under Imran Khan’s leadership, the goals of the march would be successfully achieved.
Additional convoys from other regions are expected to join Gandapur in Swabi, after which the combined convoys will head towards Islamabad under Gandapur's leadership.
As the convoys move toward the capital, security has been heightened in Islamabad in preparation for the protest.
CAPITAL SEALED
Reuters adds: Pakistan's capital was put under a security lockdown on Sunday ahead of protests by supporters of jailed former Prime Minister Imran Khan calling for his release.
Highways leading to Islamabad through which supporters of Khan, led by members of his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party, are expected to approach the city and gather near the parliament, have been blocked.
Most major roads of the city have also been blocked by the government with shipping containers and large contingents of police and paramilitary personnel have been deployed in riot gear, while mobile phone services have been suspended.
Gatherings of any sort have been banned under legal provisions, the Islamabad police said in a statement.
Global internet watchdog NetBlocks said on X, formerly known as Twitter, that live metrics showed WhatsApp messaging services had been restricted ahead of the protests.
A key Khan aid, Ali Amin Gandapur, who is the chief minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province and is expected to lead the largest convoy into Islamabad, called on people to gather near the entrance of the city's red zone, known as "D Chowk".
Islamabad's red zone houses the country's parliament building, important government installations, as well as embassies and foreign institutions' offices.
"Khan has called on us to remain there till all our demands are met," he said in a video message on Saturday.
The PTI's demands include the release of all its leaders, including Khan, as well as the resignation of the current government due to what it says was a rigged election this year.
Khan has been in jail since August last year and, since being voted out of power by parliament in 2022, faces a number of charges ranging from corruption to instigation of violence.
He and his party deny all the charges.
"These constant protests are destroying the economy and creating instability ... we want the political leadership to sit together and resolve these matters," Muhammad Asif, 35, a resident of Islamabad said in front of a closed market.
The last protest in Islamabad by PTI in early October turned violent with one policeman killed, dozens of security personnel injured and protesters arrested. Both sides accused the other of instigating the clashes.
Crackdown on PTI workers, 60 held in Faizabad
Rawalpindi police clashed with PTI workers at IJ Principal Road, arresting around 60 participants after baton charges. Officials claim 100-150 PTI workers were dispersed at the site.
Meanwhile, PTI leaders allege that 490 workers and leaders have been arrested across Punjab, with 100 reported missing.
Punjab-KP Border sealed
To stop convoys from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the Attock-Khurd border has been fully sealed, with checkpoints set up. Security forces have been equipped with tear gas shells, helmets, and batons.
Similarly, access to roads in Jhelum, Faisalabad, and other regions has been blocked, paralyzing travel between provinces.
Federal ministers react
Defence Minister Khawaja Asif criticised PTI’s tactics, accusing them of seeking “politics of bloodshed” and warning of strict governmental action.
Information Minister Atta Tarar echoed the sentiment, asserting that anyone joining the protest in Islamabad would face arrest.
PTI leadership holds firm
PTI Chairman’s legal team emphasized that only Imran Khan can withdraw the protest call. The party remains resolute, despite government warnings and legal orders to halt the demonstration.
This escalating standoff has brought the twin cities to a standstill, with both sides bracing for a potential showdown.
