35,000 security guards deployed in the metropolitan area... Blocking main roads with containers

35,000 security guards deployed in the metropolitan area... Blocking main roads with containers

(Jakarta = Yonhap News) Correspondent Hyun-gyu Son = As supporters of former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan, who was imprisoned on corruption charges, predicted a large-scale protest on the 27th, the authorities deployed more than 30,000 security guards in the capital Islamabad and blocked major access roads.

According to AFP, Reuters, and Bloomberg News on the 25th (local time), the Pakistan Justice Movement (PTI), the main opposition party led by former Prime Minister Imran Khan, and its supporters plan to hold large-scale protests across the country on the 27th to demand his release.

In preparation for this protest, the Pakistani government stacked double containers and virtually blocked the main entrance roads to downtown Islamabad and the 'red zone' where government agencies were gathered.

In addition, not only the highways around Islamabad were closed, but also highways and surrounding roads connected to the northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, which is ruled by PTI.

“35,000 police and paramilitary personnel have been deployed in the capital and surrounding areas,” a Pakistani Interior Ministry official told Reuters.

Reuters reported that more personnel were deployed to other parts of Pakistan where protesters were likely to gather.

The Pakistani government also banned gatherings and protests throughout Islamabad for two months under emergency restrictions.

Pakistan's Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi said the police had been instructed to respond strongly if the protestors' march turned violent.

However, PTI party leader Gohar Ali Khan stated that the protest would go ahead as planned despite the government's blockade.

“When we enter Islamabad, there will be a festive atmosphere with Pakistani flags flying everywhere,” he said.

This protest coincided with widespread dissatisfaction in Pakistan due to rising prices, including oil prices.

Naimat Khan, 25, a teacher, told AFP: "The poor survive on daily wages. Their lives have already become extremely difficult due to the rising prices."

Khan, a former cricket superstar, became prime minister in 2018, but after conflict with the military, which is considered the powerhouse of state power, he resigned in 2022 following a vote of no confidence in parliament.

In May of the following year, he was arrested on charges of corruption, and has since been convicted several times on charges of corruption and abuse of power, and is currently serving time in prison.

He was sentenced to 14 years in prison in January last year for receiving land as a bribe from a real estate developer, and was sentenced to an additional 17 years in prison in December last year for another corruption case.

In recent years, former prime minister Khan's supporters have repeatedly held rallies across the country demanding his release, with some rallies turning violent.