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Pakistan’s capital Islamabad has been turned into a “city of containers” as authorities blocked major roads, entry points and key intersections with double-stacked shipping containers ahead of a planned protest by jailed former prime minister Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI).
Police deployed around 22,000 security personnel in the capital on Thursday, while access to neighbouring Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, where PTI is in power, was also restricted. The measures brought traffic to a virtual standstill, with motorcyclists seen trying to pass through gaps between the containers.
The security measures were stepped up ahead of Sunday’s planned PTI protest march demanding Khan’s release. The government has intensified its crackdown on the party in recent days, including the detention of Khan’s three sisters—Aleema Khan, Uzma Khan and Noreen Niazi.
According to detention orders seen by AFP, the three women were ordered held for 30 days under the Punjab Maintenance of Public Order ordinance over allegations of mobilising supporters through social media and inciting opposition to state institutions.
Dozens of PTI lawmakers, regional leaders and activists have also been detained in Punjab and Islamabad. PTI information secretary Sheikh Waqas Akram said nearly 1,500 party activists had been detained, although the figure has not been independently verified.
Amnesty International has expressed concern over the detention of Khan’s family members and PTI activists, saying the measures affect rights to liberty, freedom of expression, association and peaceful assembly.
Information Minister Attaullah Tarar has rejected claims that Islamabad was being placed under a lockdown, saying the government would not allow anyone to shut down the capital or disrupt people’s lives.