Supporters of jailed former Prime Minister Imran Khan took to the streets near Islamabad, the Pakistani capital, clashing with security forces in the largest protest since the military-backed government assumed power earlier this year.
At least one policeman was killed, and dozens were injured, according to officials. Security forces mobilized to prevent thousands of protesters from entering the city, imposing a curfew on Sunday for the second time in recent months.
Authorities deployed approximately 1,200 shipping containers to block major roads and entry points to the capital. Schools were closed, and mobile internet services were suspended. Additionally, some intercity transit routes were shut down to disrupt the march of tens of thousands of Khan’s supporters.
The protests were ignited by Khan’s “final call” on Sunday, demanding his release from prison. He is currently held on charges of corruption, inciting violence, and other accusations.
The unrest coincided with an official visit by Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, intensifying pressure on Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif’s government as the country grapples with heightened terrorist attacks, threatening critical foreign investments from China and other partners.
Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party claimed that dozens of supporters were injured by live ammunition fired by police, while law enforcement officials denied the allegations, stating they only used rubber bullets and tear gas to disperse the crowds.
Protesters from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, one of Khan’s strongholds, and other regions gathered on the outskirts of Islamabad on Monday to begin a sit-in demonstration near Parliament.
“We don’t want to take extreme steps, [but] don’t cross the red line so that we don’t have to take extreme measures,” warned Interior Minister Mohsen Naqvi, who oversees security in Islamabad.
Media reports suggested that the government had engaged in talks with PTI leaders, offering an alternative protest venue, but Khan’s party denied these claims, stating that over 4,000 supporters had been arrested.
Khan, 72, was removed from office through a no-confidence vote in 2022 and jailed last year. Despite facing over 100 criminal cases, some of which he has been acquitted, he remains a popular figure across Pakistan, known for leading mass protests even from prison.
Although Khan’s PTI party won the most seats in the February elections, the military-backed administration blocked its path to forming a government.
A government report published in October, made public this weekend, estimated that the shutdown would cost Pakistan $680 million per day, though critics argue this figure may be inflated.
Pakistan is grappling with a severe economic crisis, forcing it to accept a $7 billion IMF bailout earlier this year.
Meanwhile, a surge in militant attacks and an ongoing independence insurgency in Baluchistan, a resource-rich province bordering Afghanistan, has raised alarms in Beijing. China has warned it might scale back its investment in Pakistan unless security improves. Several Chinese nationals working in the country have been killed in the recent violence.
Experts believe the political crisis is worsening Pakistan’s economic vulnerability, further destabilizing the nation during a precarious period.
