Pakistani authorities are closing major roads into Islamabad to prevent supporters of former Prime Minister Imran Khan from protesting his detention. The road closures started on Wednesday and include the Islamabad-Peshawar Motorway, Islamabad-Dera Ismail Khan Motorway, and Grand Trunk Road. Security measures also involve placing thousands of shipping containers around Islamabad and deploying nearly 30,000 security personnel. These actions follow recent arrests of Khan’s sisters under public order laws and warnings from Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi against the planned protests on September 27.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-09-23,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
On September 27, Pakistan's opposition party PTI plans a nationwide protest march towards Islamabad demanding the release of jailed former Prime Minister Imran Khan and mobilizing people for constitutional supremacy. The government, led by Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb, warns that protests could cause a daily loss of Rs120 billion (approximately $645 million) due to disruptions in business activities and supply chains. To prevent the march from reaching Islamabad, police have set up over 2,000 containers at key points around the city, including Attock Bridge, an entry point from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and northern parts of Pakistan.
The government has also taken stringent measures to prepare for potential unrest. Hospitals in Islamabad have been ordered to clear beds and postpone elective surgeries in anticipation of a possible "humanitarian crisis" or "mass casualty incident." Meanwhile, the Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi warned PTI against proceeding with the protest, urging them not to engage in what he termed as "drama."
In further security measures, Islamabad police announced that the Islamabad-Peshawar Motorway (M-1) would be closed from 11 PM on September 23 to deter protesters. The closure is part of a broader strategy involving more than 52,000 security personnel deployed across Islamabad and Attock district to prevent any movement towards the city. Despite these precautions, PTI remains committed to its protest plans, with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi stating that they will "forcefully exercise" their right to peaceful protest on September 27. The situation underscores a tense standoff between the government and opposition as both sides prepare for potential conflict.
Written for “Pakistan Protests Imran Khan's Detention” on 2026-10-05,
grounded in this article and the 11 other(s) covering the same event.
Authorities in Pakistan have begun sealing off the main roads into the country’s capital, Islamabad, to block supporters of jailed former Prime Minister Imran Khan from reaching the city.
asserted
Authorities → begin → city
Police in Islamabad said on Wednesday that the Islamabad-Peshawar Motorway, the Islamabad-Dera Ismail Khan Motorway and the Grand Trunk Road would be closed at several points starting in the evening.
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Motorway → say → evening
They urged the public to plan travel accordingly.
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They → urge → travel
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Dawn, a leading Pakistani newspaper, reported that the closures were indefinite and aimed at preventing supporters of Khan’s party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), from marching to the capital on September 27.
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closures → arrest → September
The protesters are demanding the release of Khan, who has been jailed since August 2023 following a series of convictions that his party calls politically motivated.
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party → demand → that
All but one have since been suspended or overturned on appeal.
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All → suspend → appeal
Concerns about his health, in particular the condition of his right eye, which has required months of specialist treatment, have prompted the party’s campaign for his release.
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which → require → release
The marches were expected to set out for Islamabad from Karachi, Pakistan’s largest city, about 1,150km (715 miles) to the southwest, and from Lahore, about 270km (170 miles) to the southeast.
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marches → expect → southeast
The authorities have placed about 2,000 shipping containers around the capital and at Attock Bridge, a crossing from the northwestern province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Dawn reported.
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Dawn → place → Pakhtunkhwa
Containers and sandbags have also been placed at Haroon Bridge, the other key crossing between Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab, and nearly 30,000 security personnel have been deployed in the Attock district, it added.
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it → place → district
Al Jazeera’s Kamal Hyder, reporting from Islamabad, said that the government had told “the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf to reconsider its plans”.
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government → report → plans
“But the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, on the other hand, says peaceful protest is their constitutional right; they want the release of their leader Imran Khan from jail, and they say they’re doing this in order to uphold the constitution.”
Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi had warned the PTI against the protest on Monday, saying “we have clearly told them that they can never achieve anything through such drama.”
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they → say → drama
He added, “I will say again that there is still time; they should not go into this situation.”
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they → add → situation
On Sunday, the police arrested Khan’s sister Aleema Khan at her home in Lahore under a public order law.
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police → arrest → law
Two other sisters, Uzma Khan and Noreen Niazi, were also arrested, along with several other relatives.
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sisters → arrest → relatives
Separately, Jamaat-e-Islami, another opposition party, began its own march from Karachi to Islamabad on Sunday to protest high fuel prices.
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Islami → begin → prices
Before leaving by train, the party’s leader, Hafiz Naeem ur Rehman, warned that if the government did not scrap a levy on petroleum of more than 100 rupees ($0.36) per litre (0.26 gallons), the protest could become a campaign to topple it, Dawn reported.
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Dawn → leave → it
But after reaching Multan in Punjab province on Monday night, Rehman said on Tuesday that the party would postpone its march, at the request of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, until the two could meet.
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two → reach → Sharif
The Aporia
