 "How does Imran Khan continue to drive Pakistan's political agenda from jail?")
Islamabad is on lockdown.
And it’s all Imran Khan’s fault.
In Pakistan, thousands of supporters of the former prime minister are marching in lockstep towards the capital to demand his release from jail.
The protest led by members of his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party, began on Sunday and have resumed today (25 November).
The protest comes in the backdrop of a high-level delegation from Belarus visiting Pakistan.
Khan has been in jail since August last year and, since being voted out of power by parliament in 2022, faces a number of charges ranging from corruption to instigation of violence.
He and his party deny all the charges.
But what happened? And how is that Khan continues to drive Pakistan’s political agenda from behind bars?
Let’s take a closer look:
What happened?
As per Dawn, Khan had on November 13 urged his supporters to join the ‘final call’ protests.
Khan asked his supporters to demonstrate against the “stolen mandate, unjust arrests” and what he called a dictatorial regime.
The PTI’s demands include the release of all its leaders, including Khan, as well as the resignation of the current government due to what it says was a rigged election this year.
As per BBC, the protests are being led by his wife Bushra Bibi.
Bibi was sent to jail alongside Khan in January but was granted bail in late October.
Pakistan’s capital was put under a security lockdown on Sunday ahead of protests.
The government had blocked highways the leading to Islamabad through which supporters of Khan, led by members of his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party, were expected to approach the city and gather near the parliament.
Most major roads of the city were also blocked using shipping containers and large contingents of police and paramilitary personnel are deployed in riot gear
Mobile phone services have been suspended.
The blockades have obstructed the route of the protesters and PTI convoys from all over the country who have been unable to reach the capital, as per Dawn.
Gatherings of any sort have been banned under legal provisions, the Islamabad police said in a statement.
Global internet watchdog NetBlocks said on X, formerly known as Twitter, that live metrics showed WhatsApp messaging services were restricted ahead of the protests.
A key Khan aid, Ali Amin Gandapur, who is the chief minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province and is expected to lead the largest convoy into Islamabad, called on people to gather near the entrance of the city’s red zone, known as “D Chowk”.
Islamabad’s red zone houses the country’s parliament building, important government installations, as well as embassies and foreign institutions’ offices.
“Khan has called on us to remain there till all our demands are met,” he said in a video message on Saturday.
Bibi on Sunday admonished some supporters taking a break en route to Islamabad.
“Stay in your vehicles, and let’s move faster to reach our destination,” Bibi told the crowd as per BBC. “We are wasting time this way.”
“We are here to bring Khan back, and we won’t return without him. Get in your vehicles so we can reach quickly.”
As per the outlet, police let off tear gas in the north-western Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, while protesters fired projectiles back at them.
The convoy is getting closer and closer to the city.
PTI leader Shaukat Yousafzai told Dawn the convoys were inching ahead because of their sheer size.
He said police had withdrawn after seeing the “huge rally”.
Yousufzai reiterated that KP CM Gandapur intended to reach D-Chowk “peacefully but at any cost”.
The procession was on the motorway near Burhan, Attock, he said.
PTI leader Sanam Javaid Khan on Monday afternoon said her convoy was at Hassanabdal.
Bushra, Gandapur, Babar Saleem Swati and Omar Ayub Khan were present in the convoy, she claimed.
A defiant Bibi, on Monday, spoke to protesters.
“Until Khan comes to us, we will not end this march,” she said. “I will stand till my last breath and you have to support me. This is not just about my husband but about this country and its leader.”
This came as a number of PTI leaders including its caretaker chairman, Gohar Ali Khan and lawmaker Ali Muhammad Khan met Khan on Monday.
The residents of Islamabad, though, are not happy.
“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 said in front of a closed market.
According to BBC, the city has been given a new nickname – “containeristan.”
“It’s exhausting,” one resident said. “Every day there’s something new, but the containers are always there.”
The last protest in Islamabad by PTI in early October turned violent with one policeman killed, dozens of security personnel injured and protesters arrested. Both sides accused the other of instigating the clashes.
Those aren’t the only protests.
As per The Times of India, Khan’s supporters are holding a number of vigils abroad including in the US and Canada.
What do experts say?
Sushant Sareen, speaking to India Today, said that Khan has already prevailed – no matter what happens as a result of the protests.
Sareen said the protests have further destabilised an already week government.
Sareen said Khan’s enduring popularity has stunned many Pakistan watchers as well as the political and military establishment.
He added that Khan has also split opinion amongst the army, the judiciary, the media and the Punjabi upper middle-class.
Sareen said that New Delhi will likely maintain its current course towards Islamabad. He said expected few advantages to India as a result of the engagement, as per India Today.
Others expected even worse for Pakistan .
“At best this is a dangerous distraction,” Michael Kugelman, director of the South Asia Institute at the Wilson Centre think tank in Washington, told BBC. “But at worst, it could be something that destabilises the country even more. It makes it all the more difficult to address Pakistan’s economic and security challenges.”
Some worry about the long-term impact on Pakistan.
As Mehmal Sarfraz, a Lahore-based political commentator and journalist, told BBC, “When political parties fight, a third force takes advantage.”
“Unless political parties talk to one another, this hybrid regime will continue to gain strength,” Safraz added. “The hybrid could then become more permanent.”
“The danger is that we become less of a democracy, more of a hybrid with every passing day,” she added.
With inputs from agencies
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