Protests by Imran Khan supporters: why the Pakistani capital is on lockdown, with internet blackouts and thousands of demonstrators

CNN-

Thousands of supporters of imprisoned former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan broke through barricades around the capital on Tuesday and marched towards Islamabad, clashing with security forces and demanding his release.

Authorities imposed a security lockdown in the country, imposed internet blackouts and barricaded main roads leading to the capital to prevent protesters from entering, after Khan called on his supporters to march to Parliament.

Pakistan's Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi told reporters that protesters could remain on the outskirts of Islamabad, but threatened to take extreme measures if they entered the city.

The latest protests come as Islamabad beefs up security for an official visit by Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, who arrived in the capital on Monday for three days of talks with Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.

Here's what you need to know.

A convoy of vehicles carrying protesters left the city of Peshawar on Sunday as part of a long march with the aim of reaching the capital, located about 180 kilometers (110 miles) away.

Led by Khan's wife, Bushra Bibi, and Ali Amin Gandapur, chief minister of the northwestern province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, where Khan's party remains in power, the protesters planned to stage a sit-in at D-Chowk, a large square near the country's parliament.

Protesters reached the outskirts of Islamabad on Monday, defying a two-day security lockdown and a ban on gatherings. Along the way, police fired tear gas to disperse the crowds and blocked roads with shipping containers to prevent them from passing through.

The video shows a police station on fire and several fires on the highway. Reuters reported that 22 police vehicles were set on fire just outside Islamabad and elsewhere in Punjab province.

At least one police officer was killed and several officers and protesters were injured in clashes, authorities said. Doctors at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences told CNN that five people had died, including four security officials and a civilian. Multiple sources told CNN that a car hit them during the protests.

By Tuesday morning, protesters had crossed the city limits and a large crowd was marching in front of Zero Point, an interchange located inside the city. The convoy then headed towards the Blue Zone, the business and commercial district of Islamabad, before arriving at D-Chowk.

Soldiers could be seen outside major government buildings in Islamabad, including Parliament, the Supreme Court and the Secretariat.

Naqvi, Pakistan's interior minister, said security forces suffered gunshot wounds but police showed restraint toward protesters.

He warned that if protesters crossed the line, security forces were authorized to retaliate and that he could take additional measures, including imposing a curfew or deploying the army.

The Rangers could open fire and there will be no protesters after five minutes, Naqvi said. Anyone who arrives here will be arrested.

The Khans Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party accused the government of using excessive force, saying bullets were fired at protesters it described as peaceful. The PTI said around two dozen protesters were injured.

CNN cannot independently verify reports from both sides and internet outages have worsened communications problems.

In recent days, thousands of Khan's supporters have been arrested in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provinces as authorities tried to prevent the protest march.

Schools in Islamabad and nearby Rawalpindi closed Monday and Tuesday, and officials and witnesses said all public transportation between the cities and terminals had been closed, according to Reuters.

Senior PTI leader Kamran Bangash said the protesters were determined and we will reach Islamabad, adding that we will overcome all obstacles one by one.

Protesters are demanding the release of Khan and those his supporters consider political prisoners. They also want the repeal of a new constitutional amendment, which increased the government's power to select superior court judges and choose judges to hear political cases.

Khan's supporters also believe that the February elections were not free and fair, calling them a stolen mandate.

Khan was ousted in a parliamentary vote of no confidence in 2022 and has since led a grassroots campaign against the current government led by Prime Minister Sharif, accusing it of colluding with the military to remove him.

The former star cricketer turned populist politician has been in jail for more than a year and faces dozens of criminal cases ranging from corruption to leaking state secrets, which he and his party deny all.

Khan and the PTI, the country's largest opposition party, remain popular, and his detention has intensified an already tense standoff between the country's powerful military and its supporters.

Khan repeatedly urged his supporters to take to the streets to demand his release, and violence broke out in several cities.

A march to Islamabad from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province in early October to demand Khan's release was met with similar roadblocks and mobile phone and internet outages and ended in clashes with police.

The protests come at a sensitive time for Pakistan, which has seen a wave of sectarian violence and attacks by separatist militants that have killed dozens of people in recent months.

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