After being unable to reach Islamabad for its incarcerated leader Imran Khan’s “final call” protest on Sunday, PTI convoys from various parts of the country, including one being led by KP Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur, are expected to resume their slow march towards the capital today in the face of stiff resistance from the government.
An update shared by the party this morning said that Gandapur was ready with his convoy to restart the march.
The protest, which the government is determined to foil with force, was originally scheduled to be staged on Nov 24, but the convoys took a breather last night after PTI leaders said they were in “no hurry” to reach the federal capital for their ‘do or die’ protest, as workers and supporters from across the country attempted to defy arrests, baton charges and tear gas to participate in the agitation.
The Islamabad High Court (IHC) last week ruled that PTI’s planned protest is unlawful and directed the federal government to take all necessary measures to maintain law and order in Islamabad without disrupting public life, particularly as the Belarusian president is scheduled to arrive today in the capital for a three-day official visit.
The PTI protesters, coming mainly from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, were still quite away from Islamabad until late Sunday night. The party and police officials expect the caravan of supporters from KP to enter the federal capital by Tuesday or Wednesday.
In Punjab and Islamabad, PTI leaders failed to mobilise the workers effectively as the police swiftly thwarted their attempts to hold gatherings.
Security personnel used batons and tear gas before rounding up scores of people in several cities.
PTI leader Asad Qaiser told Dawn that caravans of protesters marching towards Islamabad “from across the country” would still take a few days to reach Islamabad.
“The rally coming from Peshawar to Islamabad is spread over 14 kilometres,” he claimed, adding that similar numbers would be arriving from D.I. Khan, Abbottabad, Balochistan and other areas.
Although rallies have entered Punjab, “we have instructed our workers that we are not in a hurry to reach Islamabad,” Mr Qaiser told Dawn.
“[O]ur destination is Islamabad but we can take a day or two to reach there and let the government machinery remain panicked.”
Police officials, while citing intelligence reports, said PTI’s caravan coming from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa was likely to stay in or near Swabi on Sunday and continue its march on Monday, reaching Attock on the Punjab-KP border by the day’s end. They are then likely to move towards Islamabad on Tuesday, sources claimed.
According to journalists, the caravan from KP had halted at Ghazi Barotha, short of Attock, on Sunday night. However, many groups of PTI activists defied police expectations and entered Punjab via different highways late on Sunday.
Groups from various parts of KP, such as the Peshawar and Malakand regions, entered Punjab from various thoroughfares after circumventing roadblocks on major arteries.
Another group of protesters from southern KP was en route via the Hakla-Dera Ismail Khan Motorway, while the procession from the Hazara region used the Hazara Expressway to enter Punjab.
Bushra Bibi, the spouse of PTI founder Imran Khan, was also part of the convoy coming from Peshawar.
In a brief speech near the Swabi Interchange, Mr Gandapur urged the workers to “utilise all their energy” to remove hurdles on their way towards their destination — D-Chowk in Islamabad.
The main procession was also joined by protesters from Dera Ismail Khan, led by Mr Gandapur’s brother Umar Amin; Balochistan, led by Salar Khan Kakar; Tank; and South Waziristan.
The protesters had their first face-off with Punjab police near Attock. As police fired tear gas, they pelted stones and set fire to a toll booth and a van.
The skirmishes continued till the filing of this report, in the early hours of Monday.
As PTI supporters from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Punjab and other parts of the country marched towards the capital, the government struck an aggressive note, saying that anyone trying to enter the city despite the unprecedented security arrangements and blockades in place would face the music.
Government functionaries have termed the PTI power show a ‘well-thought out conspiracy’, as it coincides with yet another foreign dignitary’s visit; the arrival of Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko. The Belarusian president is due in Islamabad today.
Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, who received an advance delegation from Belarus on Sunday, vowed that all protesters trying to enter the federal capital will be taken into custody.
Authorities have sealed off Islamabad’s Red Zone, which houses key government buildings, and secured the Diplomatic Enclave, he said.
Addressing a press conference on Sunday, Mr Naqvi said that the security measures were put in place to protect residents of the capital and their property, blaming the PTI for inconveniencing thousands of people.
Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar also questioned the PTI’s repeated calls for strikes, terming them a “well-thought out conspiracy” against the country.
In a statement on Sunday, he regretted the party always seemed to call for a protest at a time when global figures were visiting Pakistan, whether it be the Chinese premier’s visit, the SCO summit or other occasion.
The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa chapter of PTI has brought huge industrial fans — similar to those used in paramotoring — besides employing other gadgets to protect the participants from the effects of teargas shelling.
The large fans, transported on a truck, are being probably used for the first time in a political march in Pakistan.
The PTI’s social media head in KP, Ikram Khattana, while talking to Dawn said the fans had been locally manufactured for their planned protest march towards Islamabad.
“There are six such fans which are part of the convoy taken out from Peshawar,” Mr Khattana said, adding that electricity generators had been arranged to operate these fans.
