Pakistan Imposes Strict Security Measures and Arrests Opposition Figures Ahead of Protests to Free Imran Khan

Authorities in Pakistan have closed major motorways and highways leading to Islamabad as part of a sweeping security crackdown ahead of a planned protest march organized by the party of jailed former Prime Minister Imran Khan. Supporters of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) plan to converge on the capital on Sunday, September 27, to demand the release of their leader, who has been imprisoned since August 2023.

In Islamabad, workers have erected heavy shipping containers filled with gravel and sand to block access points, while several schools and colleges have been closed to accommodate incoming police forces from Punjab and Sindh. Local media reports estimate the upcoming protest could draw between 20,000 and 25,000 demonstrators.

While other political groups, such as Jamaat-e-Islami (JI), have recently postponed their own demonstrations following talks with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, PTI has faced severe preventive measures. Authorities have detained Imran Khan's three sisters—Aleema Khan, Uzma Khan, and Noreen Niazi—alongside several party legislators under a 1960 public order law that permits detention without charge. PTI officials claim the actual number of arrests is significantly higher.

Government ministers have defended the heavy security posture. Junior interior minister Talal Chaudhry stated that normal life in the capital is continuing and that the measures are strictly precautionary. However, Prime Minister's coordinator Rana Ihsaan Afzal acknowledged that the government is looking at the bigger picture to counter PTI's rhetoric.

The standoff coincides with a particularly deadly period for Pakistan’s security forces following recent attacks in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi emphasized these security challenges and indicated that the government intends to establish a permanent plan of action rather than allowing a prolonged sit-in. Meanwhile, PTI leaders, including Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi, remain defiant, vowing that the demonstration will proceed peacefully.