Islamabad locked down ahead of planned protest by Imran Khan's party in Pakistan
Islamabad (PTI): Amid stringent measures put in place by the Pakistan government to thwart the protest march on Sunday, jailed former prime minister Imran Khan's party is preparing to proceed with its highly anticipated march towards Islamabad.
The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party, led by former Prime Minister Imran Khan, has called on the public to join the march to "break the shackles of slavery."
The federal government has taken several steps to block the protest, including deploying heavy security forces, sealing key roads, and setting up barriers around the capital.
The Interior Ministry has emphasised that, in accordance with court orders, no protests or sit-ins will be allowed in Islamabad, and any attempts to disrupt public order will be met with legal action.
Khan, in a statement, urged the masses to unite for the protest, calling it a movement for freedom and justice.
The PTI leaders earlier on Sunday held a high-level meeting at the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister’s House to finalise the strategy for the planned protest, Geo News reported.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur has said that he will arrive in Swabi at 3pm to oversee the preparations for the planned protest and lead the party's march to Islamabad, the report added.
The chief minister also directed the party's activists intending to attend the march to reach Swabi by 3pm.
Ignoring calls by the government to postpone the protest – the second one in as many months – Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) declared to go ahead with its planned march to Islamabad coinciding with the arrival of a large Belarusian delegation even as the authorities issued a warning of a potential threat during the protest.
The PTI gave a call last week for a long march to Islamabad to press for three demands: the release of the incarcerated party founder and other leaders, against the alleged “stolen mandate” during February 8 elections and restoration of the judiciary by revoking the recent 26th amendment to the Constitution that granted legislators more power in appointing top judges.
Meanwhile, Khan’s wife, Bushra Bibi, has opted not to participate in the protest but will oversee the convoys from the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister's House.
In preparation for the protest, Islamabad’s federal government has fortified security measures, sealing off several key roads and blocking routes leading to the Red Zone, where critical government buildings are located.
Containers have been placed across the city, including along the Srinagar Highway, GT Road, and the Expressway, limiting access to strategic areas like D-Chowk, Islamabad Airport, and the A-11 point at New Margalla Road.
Rangers, along with police and Frontier Constabulary (FC), have been deployed to monitor the area. The federal government has also warned against any unlawful protests, stating that no one will be permitted to hold a demonstration in violation of judicial orders, with legal action promised against any violators.
Also, Pakistan Railways has suspended all train services between Lahore, Rawalpindi, and Peshawar in light of the ongoing PTI protest, the Express Tribune reported.
According to railway authorities, services between Peshawar and Rawalpindi, Lahore and Rawalpindi, as well as between Multan and Faisalabad to Rawalpindi, have been halted immediately.
Additionally, all 25 train bookings for Sunday, November 24, have been cancelled, and passengers will receive immediate refunds for their tickets.
The suspension of services and the cancellation of bookings have impacted daily commuters and travellers, as Pakistan Railways responds to the security situation surrounding the ongoing protests.
Section 144 – which prohibits gatherings of individuals – has been in effect in Islamabad since November 18. On the other hand, the Punjab government too has enforced Section 144 across the province from November 23 to November 25, banning protests, public gatherings, rallies, and sit-ins.
Despite the heightened security and restrictions, the PTI has remained persistent about proceeding with its protest march and subsequent sit-in to press for its demands.
Additionally, internet and mobile services have been partially suspended in Islamabad, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and Punjab as a precaution.
Users in Islamabad are facing partial disruptions in internet services at various locations, while it remains unhindered in neighbouring Rawalpindi.
Meanwhile, mobile services also remain fully operational in Rawalpindi.
Public transport, including metro bus services in Islamabad and Rawalpindi, has been halted, and all bus terminals at Faizabad, linking the twin cities, have been barricaded.
Khan, 72, has been implicated in dozens of cases since his government was dismissed through a no-confidence motion in 2022. He has been in Adiala Jail at Rawalpindi since last year facing, according to his party, over 200 cases; got bail in some of them, convicted in some others, and hearings going on for some more.
Khan's party won the largest number of seats in the February general elections despite contesting as independents as the party was denied an election symbol and the PTI chief has already alleged that the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and its coalition partners, including Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) had “stolen the mandate” to grab power at the federal level.
Relations between the PTI and the PML-N-led coalition government -already tense since Khan’s ouster in 2022 - have strained even more in recent times.
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UP: 3 killed in clashes during violent protest against Sambhal mosque survey
Sambhal (UP) (PTI): Three people were killed as protesters opposing a court-ordered survey of a Mughal-era mosque here clashed with security personnel on Sunday.
The protesters tried to torch vehicles and pelted stones at the police who used tear gas and batons to disperse the mob. "Gunshots were fired by the miscreants and some pellets struck our policemen. We are investigating where the shots were fired from, particularly in the Deepa Sarai area," an officer said.
Moradabad Divisional Commissioner Aunjaneya Kumar Singh said. "Three people identified as Naeem, Bilal and Nauman have been killed. Some policemen including the gunner of the superintendent of police have also been injured."
The trouble started on Sunday morning as a large group of people gathered near the mosque and started shouting slogans as the survey team began their work in the Shahi Jama Masjid.
Tension has been brewing in Sambhal over the past few days after the Jama Masjid was surveyed last Tuesday on the orders of a local court following a petition that claimed that a Harihar temple stood at the site.
Ten people have been detained and a probe has been launched, an official said, adding some people even tried to set afire some motorcycles parked on the roadside.
The official said the accused in the violence would be booked under the stringent National Security Act (NSA).
Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav lashed out at the BJP, saying the ruling party, government and the administration orchestrated the violence "to divert attention from electoral malpractice".
According to the local administration, a second survey by an "Advocate Commissioner" as part of a court-ordered examination into the disputed site started around 7 am and a crowd began gathering there.
"Some miscreants in the crowd threw stones at the police team. The police used minor force and tear gas to bring the situation under control," Superintendent of Police Krishna Kumar Vishnoi said.
He said those who engaged in stone pelting and those who incited them will be identified and action taken against them.
"We are in the process of registering an FIR in the incident. The accused will also be booked under the NSA," the police officer added.
District officials said the survey work was planned in the morning to avoid interference with prayers in the mosque that is usually held in the afternoon. The survey team concluded its work for the day shortly after the stone pelting incident occurred.
District Magistrate Rajendra Pesia said, "Some miscreants resorted to stone pelting but the situation is peaceful now."
"Around 10 people have been detained in connection with the stone-pelting incident. They are being interrogated," he added.
Uttar Pradesh police chief Prashant Kumar told PTI that the situation was under control in Sambhal.
"We are monitoring everything. All police and civil administration officials are handling the situation on the spot. They are patrolling those areas. Anti-social elements will be identified very soon and strict action will be taken against them," the director general of police (DGP) said.
Videos of youths throwing stones at police, purportedly near the site of the survey in Sambhal have surfaced on the Internet.
Additional police units have been deployed near the mosque to ensure law and order and officials are closely monitoring the situation.
At a press conference in Lucknow, Akhilesh Yadav said, "A serious incident occurred in Sambhal. A survey team was deliberately sent in the morning to disrupt discussions about the elections. The intention was to create chaos so that no debate on election issues could happen."
"I don't want to go into the legal or procedural aspects, but the other side was not even heard. This was intentionally done to provoke emotions and avoid discussions on election rigging," he said.
"What happened in Sambhal was orchestrated by the BJP, the government and the administration to divert attention from electoral malpractices," the former UP chief minister alleged.
On Saturday, the Sambhal district administration bound down 34 people on a bond of up to Rs 10 lakh on apprehension of a breach of peace.
Subdivisional Magistrate Vandana Mishra told PTI on Saturday that among the people bound down is Mamlukur Rahman Barq, the father of the Samajwadi Party's Sambhal MP Zia ur Rahman Barq.
Supreme Court lawyer Vishnu Shankar Jain, who is a petitioner in the case, had said the Court of Civil Judge (Senior Division) ordered the constitution of an "Advocate Commission" to survey the mosque.
The court has said that a report should be filed after conducting a videography and photography survey through the commission, he had said.
The Central and Uttar Pradesh governments, the mosque committee and the district magistrate of Sambhal have been made parties in the petition concerning the mosque, Jain said last Tuesday.
Vishnu Shankar Jain and his father Hari Shankar Jain have represented the Hindu side in many cases related to places of worship, including the Gyanvapi Mosque-Kashi Vishwanath temple dispute.
Gopal Sharma, a local lawyer for the Hindu side, told PTI on Friday that in his petition filed in the court, he mentioned that "Baburnama" and the "Ain-e-Akbari" has confirmed that a Harihar temple was at the site where the Jama Masjid now stands.
He also claimed that the temple was demolished by Mughal Emperor Babur in 1529.
Samajwadi Party (SP) MP Zia Ur Rehman Barq had objected to the developments.
"The Jama Masjid of Sambhal is historical and very old. The Supreme Court had given the order in 1991 that whatever religious places are there in whatever condition since 1947, they will remain at their places," he had said.
The next date for hearing in this case is January 29.
