By Amjad Ali
Islamabad, Nov 24 (EFE).– Authorities in Islamabad have deployed nearly thousands of security personnel and sealed roads ahead of a planned protest march by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), the opposition party led by jailed former Prime Minister Imran Khan.
32saqPolice spokesperson Taqi Jawad confirmed the deployment of forces from Islamabad, Punjab, and other regions, alongside Rangers and Frontier Constabulary units, to secure the capital.
“Around 29,000 security personnel…have been deployed,” Jawad told EFE on Sunday.
The PTI has called for the release of political prisoners, including Khan, and demanded the restoration of what it claims was a stolen mandate in the February general elections.
Major routes to Islamabad were blocked, while internal city roads have also been closed, severely restricting movement.
Internet services, including mobile data and Wi-Fi, were disrupted in parts of the city, with mobile internet shut down entirely on Sunday morning.
Independent Internet watchdog NetBlocks confirmed WhatsApp backends were restricted.
The interior ministry on Saturday evening announced the government would suspend the internet only in areas of security concerns.
“Shutdown of mobile data and Wi-Fi service will be determined only in areas with security concerns,” the ministry said in a statement, adding that “internet and mobile services in the rest of the country will continue to function as normal.”
On Thursday, the Islamabad High Court barred PTI from holding the protest march, noting that the Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko is scheduled to visit Islamabad on Monday.
Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi warned that any protest in defiance of a court order barring the march would result in arrests. A recent ban on public gatherings under Section 144 remains in effect.
The heightened security follows a warning from Pakistan’s National Counter Terrorism Authority that militants from the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) may target the march.
The PTI has termed the demonstration a «do or die» moment to pressure the government to release Khan, who has been imprisoned for over a year on charges the party describes as politically motivated. EFE
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