Imran Khan's supporters. Photo: PTI (X).
Thousands of members and supporters of Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) reached Pakistan’s capital, Islamabad, on Tuesday, November 26, facing heavy repression by security forces including tear gas and live fire. Reportedly, four people have been killed. Protesters are demanding the release of their leader, former Prime Minister Imran Khan, and have also called for the restoration of the party’s allegedly stolen mandate in this year’s national elections.
PTI and Khan supporters started marching to Islamabad from all corners of the country on Sunday, aiming to reach D-Chowk near the country’s Parliament. However, security forces have attempted to prevent the movement by erecting barricades, including shipping containers, on roads linking the capital with other regions, along with other coercive measures.
Protesters traveling in trucks, buses, cars, or on foot from various provinces, including Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), where the PTI is in power, were reportedly attacked by the security forces using batons and tear gas. Additionally, a large number of people have been arrested after the Islamabad High Court (IHC) declared the protest illegal last week.
The actions of the security forces delayed the gathering in Islamabad on Sunday, forcing the PTI to announce that it might take a couple more days for all its supporters to assemble at the designated place in Islamabad. PTI announced that it will not abandon the protest until all objectives are achieved.
The march is organized in response to Khan’s “final call” for protest, issued earlier this month. Khan urged all his supporters and party leaders to mobilize and march in solidarity until they achieve the release of all political prisoners, the reversal of 26th constitutional amendment, the restoration of democracy and of the constitution, and the return of “the stolen mandate,” referring to allegedly rigged general elections held in February this year.
The 26th amendment, passed in October, gave more power to the parliament over the judiciary, despite objections raised by PTI and several other parties. PTI claims that the amendment was introduced specifically to prevent Khan’s early release from jail.
Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi announced that the government would prevent protesters from entering the capital at any cost. The government also accused PTI of working against the interest of the nation. Naqvi admitted that mobile internet services had been suspended in some parts of the country to manage the situation.
The government also filed cases against Imran Khan, his wife Bushra Bibi, former president Arif Alvi, and several other PTI leaders under Pakistan’s anti-terrorism laws, the Express Tribune reported.
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The protests may further erode the legitimacy of the government
Ammar Ali Jan, head of the Haqooq-e-Khalq Party (HKP), told Peoples Dispatch that the coalition government of Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) and Peoples Party of Pakistan (PPP), led by Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif, is already facing a serious crisis of legitimacy due to the questionable way in which it came to power during the general elections with the backing of the “establishment,” i.e. the military. The ruling coalition is now on the defensive as PTI’s frequent calls for popular protests further deepen the crisis of legitimacy.
Khan, who has been held in Pakistan’s Adiala Jail since his arrest in August last year on various charges, remains very popular. Despite allegations of manipulation, attempts to disqualify the party, and Khan’s imprisonment, PTI won the largest number of seats in the parliament.
While the former Prime Minister has been convicted on several charges, many of those convictions have been reversed by higher courts, and in some, he has been granted bail. Last week, the IHC granted him bail in one of the most high-profile cases, related to Toshakhana, or the illegal sale of state gifts.
However, Pakistan’s government has refused to release him, claiming that several cases are still pending. Khan and his supporters assert that all cases filed against him since his ousting from power in July 2022 are politically motivated and stem from his criticism of the military’s role in politics.
Ammar Ali Jaan warns that if the current siege of the capital is prolonged or if any bloodshed occurs, the regime’s “crisis of legitimacy” will intensify further, potentially numbering the days in power for the current government.
