As PTI convoys from across the country kept on marching Islamabad for the party’s much-touted power show – despite a court order and government warnings against it – the party claimed its workers were being arrested and dispersed using teargas.
On Nov 13, Imran Khan issued a “final call” for nationwide protests on Nov 24, denouncing what he described as the stolen mandate, the unjust arrests of people and the passage of the 26th amendment, which he said has strengthened a “dictatorial regime”.
The Islamabad High Court (IHC) has ruled that PTI’s planned protest is unlawful and directed the federal government to take all necessary measures to maintain law and order in Islamabad without disrupting public life, particularly as the Belarusian president is scheduled to arrive over the weekend with a high-profile delegation.
As PTI supporters, who had set off on their journey earlier in the day, began reaching Islamabad despite government warnings of arrests, the party claimed the police was detaining its workers and using teargas to disperse them.
Former first lady, Bushra Bibi and Khyber Pakhtunkhuwa CM Ali Amin Gandapur on Sunday departed for Islamabad with PTI convoy to Islamabad for their planned protest, sources said.
Earlier it emerged that PTI convoy from Peshawar was delayed amid leadership dispute between Bushra Bibi and Gandapur.
In a post on X at 7:10pm, the PTI shared what it said were “visuals of the extreme shelling by fascist regime against own citizens at Islamabad Express”.
Earlier, it was reported that mobile internet services were down across Islamabad, while major roads, including motorways, were blocked with containers.
“These constant protests are destroying the economy and creating instability … we want the political leadership to sit together and resolve these matters,” Muhammad Asif, 35, a resident of Islamabad told Reuters in front of a closed market.
Separately, in a notification, the office of the district magistrate in Islamabad ordered the closure of all public and private educational institutions in the capital territory tomorrow.
The PTI, in a post on X, claimed that the convoy of National Assembly opposition leader Omar Ayub was targeted near Taxila and shells were fired at it.
PTI MNA Sher Afzal Marwat shared a video of his brother Khalid Latif Khan saying his convoy was stopped at Daud Khel and was fired at with “strict teargas shelling”.
However, he asserted, “We will reach D Chowk in any circumstance.”
In another video, Khalid said that police had been shelling the convoy for over an hour and a half.
“We had to face heavy shelling for an hour-and-a-half to two hours,” he said. “Thankfully now, the path has been cleared and we should leave (for D Chowk) within an hour-and-a-half to two hours.”
In another post, the PTI shared a video without specifying the location, saying: “The fascist regime has started, as expected, tear gas shelling against peaceful Pakistanis.”
Speaking at D-Chowk, the final destination of PTI’s main convoy, Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi said, “One option is that we let them come and […] paralyse Islamabad. The other option is to protect Islamabad.
“The area where they (the PTI) have called the protest is a protected area of Islamabad, monitored by the IG and DIG,” Naqvi said, referring to the Red Zone. “Any protesters who enter that area will be arrested,” he warned.
Despite the security apparatus in place, Naqvi maintained that the blockades were “not as bad as last time” and that the government was trying to give as much relief as possible to those inconvenienced.
Referring to the arrival of a Belarusian delegation in the capital, Naqvi said PTI supporters were coming on to the route through which the delegation was supposed to pass. He criticised the PTI for organising protests instead of attending the funerals being held in Kurram, referring to violent clashes there in the past few days.
Addressing the PTI demonstrators, he said: “If you wish to protest, that is your right, but you know exactly who is coming and you have been blocking off roads and causing trouble.”
Addressing the media later, interior minister Naqvi said: “Mobile services are working. The internet has been shut down.”
In a televised statement, Minister for Information and Broadcasting Attaullah Tarar termed the PTI responsible for Islamabad’s closure and for “causing damage to businesspeople and the economy”.
He asserted that while some routes in the city were closed, others were still open. “The main highway is closed, but despite that people are out and about,” Tarar said.
The minister added, “When a party tries to spread division, they do so through violence and property damage. We saw it during the 2014 sit-in, PTV was set on fire and the gates of Parliament were broken down.”
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