A demonstration in support of Pakistan’s jailed former prime minister Imran Khan has been postponed by a week, organisers have said, citing an effort to wear down the government.
The march from Peshawar to Islamabad will now begin on October 4, Sohail Afridi, chief minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, said late Friday.
“Postponing the protest is part of our strategy. We have to wear down the federal government,” said Afridi, whose province is governed by Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party.
The announcement came after authorities blocked main access routes to Islamabad with double-stacked shipping containers ahead of the protest originally scheduled for Sunday, disrupting traffic and public transport.
Police deployed 22,000 security personnel to lock down Islamabad, officials told AFP, barring entry and exit to neighbouring Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.
Key highways, entry points, and major intersections were obstructed, completely severing transport links and bringing movement to a virtual standstill.
The government's preemptive crackdown ahead of the planned protest expanded earlier this week with the detention of Khan's sisters Aleema Khan, Uzma Khan, and Noreen Niazi.
Khan, 73, has been in jail since August 2023 following convictions in several cases that he and his PTI party have branded politically motivated.
Some of his convictions have been suspended or overturned, while several appeals remain pending before higher courts.
