Pakistan Restricts Roads, Detains Imran Khan Relatives Ahead of Protest

Pakistani authorities have closed major roads leading to Islamabad, installed reinforced shipping-container barriers and deployed thousands of police ahead of a September 27 protest demanding the release of jailed former Prime Minister Imran Khan.

The planned march is being organized by Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party. Al Jazeera reported that routes connecting the capital with Peshawar and other parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the province governed by PTI, were closed until further notice. Some schools and colleges were also ordered shut to accommodate police brought in from Punjab and Sindh. Local media estimates cited by Al Jazeera said police expect 20,000 to 25,000 demonstrators.

Khan’s three sisters were detained in Lahore under a public-order law and ordered held for 30 days, according to Deutsche Welle. Al Jazeera also reported that at least six PTI legislators were detained in Islamabad. The government said its measures were intended to maintain public order, while PTI and Khan’s family described the arrests as intimidation.

Khan’s sons, Sulaiman and Kasim, told DW they had received little information about their 73-year-old father’s health and alleged that he had been denied adequate medical care and regular contact with relatives, lawyers and a personal physician. They called for his transfer to Shifa International Hospital for an independent assessment and for detained family members to be released.

Khan, removed from office in a 2022 no-confidence vote, has been imprisoned since August 2023 on corruption charges he says are politically motivated.