Islamabad: The Pakistani capital Islamabad was put on lockdown on Friday in preparation for a demonstration by supporters of jailed former Prime Minister Imran Khan.
Roads leading into the city were blocked with shipping containers, extra police and paramilitary troops were deployed and internet and mobile services were shut down.
Khan's party, the Pakistan Tehreek-e Insaaf (PTI), appeared to ignore a demand from Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi to call off the rally.
"The tyrants in power want to terrorize us," a message on Khan's social media account said. "So go forth fearlessly, and remember if you still hesitate, to step forward and truly liberate yourself."
Khan supporters threaten to 'fire back'
Khan, who was ousted from power by a non-confidence vote in 2022, has been serving a three-year jail sentence since 2023.
He remains a popular figure in Pakistani politics despite his convictions for fraud, which his supporters reject as politically motivated.
On Friday, the PTI gathered its supporters in the city of Swabi in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, where they dominate local politics.
"We will fire back if police try to stop us from entering Islamabad," the province's Chief Minister Ali Amin Khan told protesters.
Islamabad seeks to keep unrest in check
Ahead of the demonstration, police carried out overnight raids resulting in the arrest of more than 4,000 Khan supporters, including hundreds of Afghan refugees, according to the German DPA news agency.
"Nobody will be spared if protesters try to confront police," Interior Minister Naqvi has warned.
Pakistan is preparing to host the Shanghai Cooperation Council (SCO) in a couple of weeks and the government appears ready to use a heavy hand to quell unrest.
The government of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has also recently secured a $7 billion (€6.3 billion) loan from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) as it grapples with a flailing economy.
In addition to the fears of violence due pro-Khan protess, Pakistan is currently also facing the threat of attacks by the Pakistani Taliban, with its security forces already grappling with unrest from national liberation movements.
