Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf says it will not stop protesting until Imran Khan is released from prison

A demonstration by thousands of supporters demanding the release of former Prime Minister Imran Khan reached the outskirts of Pakistan’s federal capital, Islamabad, on Monday. Wife Bushara Khan said the protest would not stop until the former prime minister was released from prison.

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) is organising a ‘long march’ to the Pakistani capital from several cities across the country to demand, among other things, the release of political prisoners, including Mr Khan. The protesters plan to camp in D-Chowk, a high-security district in the capital’s Red Zone that houses key government buildings and is a popular protest site, but the government has sealed all entry and exit points to the city with shipping containers and large contingents of police and other security forces have been stationed throughout Islamabad. 

Khan has been in prison since August last year and faces a series of charges that he says are politically motivated. 

PTI’s march began on Sunday, but was unable to reach Islamabad because shipping containers placed by the government at key points on the main highways slowed the pace of the caravans.

Before Mr Khan’s demonstration, the government had imposed a two-month ban on public gatherings in the capital, citing security concerns and public inconvenience. 

Authorities closed all schools in Islamabad and the adjacent garrison town of Rawalpindi, while internet and WhatsApp messaging services were also slowed down.