The Pakistani authorities have tightened the closure of the capital, Islamabad, from 4 entrances linking it to the neighboring city of Rawalpindi, coinciding with the start of the arrival of supporters of the "Insaf" party led by dismissed Prime Minister Imran Khan to participate in a popular gathering today, Saturday, where Khan will deliver a speech at a protest march in Rawalpindi.
And the French News Agency said that Imran Khan will participate today for the first time in a public gathering since the attempt on his life on the third of November.
The Insaf Party quoted Khan as saying in a tweet, "My life is in danger. Despite my injury, I am going to Rawalpindi for the sake of the nation. My nation will come to Rawalpindi for me." The protest will be organized on a vast open land between the capital Islamabad and Rawalpindi, and the latter includes the headquarters of the powerful army. in the country.
Today, Saturday, the Imran Party, on its Twitter account, published pictures and videos of cars arriving in the city of Rawalpindi to participate in the protest march.
Move Ansaf Jhelum as a convoy!
#chlo_chlo_پنڈی_چLO pic.twitter.com/m7Bppja0X1
— PTI (@PTIofficial) November 26, 2022
Today's march is the culmination of the so-called "long march" of Imran Khan's party to pressure the government to call early elections before Parliament's term ends in October next year.
Authorities have imposed tight security around Islamabad to prevent Khan's supporters from marching to government buildings, with thousands of security personnel deployed and shipping containers blocking roads, and Pakistani police said any attempt by Hizb-e-Insaf supporters to enter the capital this time would be dealt with firmly.
The protests led by Khan in May degenerated into 24 hours of chaos, with the capital under siege and clashes across Pakistan between police and demonstrators.
Interior Minister
On Friday, the Pakistani Interior Minister, "Rana Thanaullah," warned the followers of the Insaf Party against participating in the protest gathering, as it was useless, as he put it, and stressed that the government would not acquiesce in the demand of Imran Khan's party to organize early elections.
Minister Thana Allah added, "I call for canceling the gathering of the Insaf Party, which is supposed to be organized on Saturday in Rawalpindi, because it is useless, and because of the existence of a real security threat that the government unanimously affirmed to all intelligence agencies, and where it is feared that the gathering will be targeted by a terrorist organization."
Pakistan has been witnessing political turmoil since last April, when Khan was ousted in a vote of no confidence in parliament.
Since his dismissal, Khan has organized a series of mass rallies across the country, and Saturday's gathering is expected to be the largest yet.