Oct 01, Kathmandu - Pakistan’s government has deployed extensive security measures to stop an opposition protest demanding the release of former Prime Minister Imran Khan, turning Islamabad into what critics describe as a fortified city ahead of an October 4 march.

The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) says the march will go ahead as planned. The government has blocked major routes into the capital with shipping containers and metal barricades, including key crossings on the road linking Islamabad with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

According to Dawn, the government is spending about 46 million rupees a day just to keep containers in place. The Associated Press reported allegations that authorities seized transporters’ containers and used them to block roads. Truck driver Rahmat Gul said police stopped him, took control of his truck and left its container on a road near Rawalpindi.

Reports say thousands of containers and tens of thousands of security personnel have been deployed. Authorities have also imposed curfew measures, arrested several PTI leaders and issued warrants for others. Those arrested reportedly include three of Khan’s sisters.

Khan has faced more than 100 cases since relations between him and Pakistan’s military leadership deteriorated in 2022–23. He has been convicted in several cases and has spent nearly three years in prison, yet remains one of the country’s most popular political figures. Concerns about his health have grown amid restrictions on visits from family and associates.

PTI leaders accuse Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s government of preparing to use force to prevent the protest. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi, an ally of Khan, told The Guardian and the Associated Press that the government was “panicking” and had surrounded Islamabad. He said supporters would take to the streets for Khan.

Senior PTI leader and former National Assembly speaker Asad Qaiser said the march would proceed as scheduled. Responding to reports that the federal government may impose governor’s rule in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, he warned that the party would challenge such a move in court and that it could trigger public anger.

PTI interim chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan said emergency rule or governor’s rule would not solve the crisis. He pledged that the march would remain peaceful and described the lack of meaningful dialogue between the government and opposition as unfortunate.