The Limited Times

Now you can see non-English news...

Pakistan: Police block access to capital ahead of opposition protest

2022-05-25T06:29:29.648Z


All access to the Pakistani capital Islamabad was strictly locked by the police on Wednesday May 25, pending a large...


All access to the Pakistani capital Islamabad was strictly locked by the police on Wednesday May 25, pending a large demonstration at the call of former Prime Minister Imran Khan, whom the government has promised to prevent, have observed by AFP journalists.

Read alsoPakistan in the Taliban trap

Overthrown on April 10 by a motion of no confidence, Imran Khan has since been trying, with his party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI, Pakistan Movement for Justice), to increase pressure on the fragile coalition in power. , holding large rallies across the country.

Request for legislative elections

The former star cricketer has planned to lead a long march on Wednesday bringing together tens of thousands of people between the city of Peshawar (northwest), capital of the province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, led by the PTI, and Islamabad.

He assured that his supporters would not leave the streets until the new government agreed to call legislative elections immediately.

The deadline for holding this vote is October 2023.

Police also blocked all major roads leading to the capital from the nearest major cities on Wednesday: Peshawar, Lahore, and Multan.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif's coalition government said on Tuesday it was determined to prevent a march that would only aim to "

divide the nation and spread chaos

".

"

No one should be allowed to besiege the capital and dictate its conditions

," said Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah.

“Not politics”, “jihad”

The PTI accused the police of having arrested hundreds of its members in searches carried out overnight from Monday to Tuesday.

Police sources in Lahore confirmed to AFP, on condition of anonymity, that 200 PTI supporters had been detained in Punjab province for disturbing public order.

Engaged for several months in a rhetorical one-upmanship, Imran Khan has promised to organize the largest rally the country has ever known.

"

I don't see it as politics, but as jihad

," a word meaning struggle or resistance for Muslims, he said.

He was elected in 2018 by denouncing the corruption of the elites symbolized by the Pakistan Muslim League (PML-N) of Mr. Sharif and the Pakistani People's Party (PPP) of the Bhutto family, two long rival parties which have dominated the national political life for decades.

Read alsoIn Pakistan, the fall of Prime Minister Imran Khan

But the country's dilapidated economy, with zero growth for the past three years, high inflation, a weak rupee and mounting debt, cost him his job, bringing the PML-N back to power and the PPP, partners in a coalition government.

Source: lefigaro

All news articles on 2022-05-25

You may like

Trends 24h

News/Politics 2024-03-28T06:04:53.137Z

Latest

© Communities 2019 - Privacy

The information on this site is from external sources that are not under our control.
The inclusion of any links does not necessarily imply a recommendation or endorse the views expressed within them.