By Staff Reporter
ISLAMABAD: Islamabad’s streets became a battleground on Friday as authorities struggled to contain protests by hundreds of supporters of former Prime Minister Imran Khan, defying a lockdown and protesting his imprisonment and proposed constitutional reforms that critics say undermine judicial independence.
Police fired tear gas and arrested dozens of supporters of Khan’s Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party. Security forces dug trenches and laid iron nails on the Islamabad-Peshawar motorway to block protesters from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.
Thousands of PTI activists and supporters, led by Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur, marched toward Islamabad. Containers blocked key points along the Rawalpindi-Peshawar GT Road, including the Attock Khurd Bridge, Wah Garden Bridge, and Haro Bridge near Hassanabdal. Clashes broke out between police and PTI supporters near Burhan rest area, where tear gas was used to halt the protesters’ advance.
Approximately 9,000 marchers were stuck at Burhan after removing 25 containers. Authorities dug trenches and laid iron nails on a 1-km stretch of the Islamabad-Peshawar Motorway (M-1) near Hazro interchange to prevent protesters from joining Islamabad protests.
Protesters gathered at various points in Rawalpindi and Islamabad were intercepted by police, leading to clashes that lasted several hours. At Faizabad intersection, Islamabad police deployed heavy shelling to repel a large contingent of PTI workers trying to enter the capital, forcing them to retreat.
Mobile phone services remained suspended in the federal capital throughout the day, and entry and exit points into the city, as well as main highways and bridges inside, were sealed. All roads leading to the Red Zone, which houses sensitive government buildings, and D-Chowk were shut from all sides.
Despite the massive lockdown of the federal capital, with containers blocking over two dozen locations, PTI workers managed to break through several barriers and reach near Express Chowk. The clashes occurred at various points, including Shamsabad, Faizabad Interchange, Committee Chowk, and 6th Road in Rawalpindi, as well as Sohan, Expressway, Jinnah Avenue, Blue Area, and near D-Chowk in Islamabad, where police responded with tear gas.
Local TV showed PTI supporters being arrested, and three policemen were injured. Aleema Khan and Uzma Khan, Imran Khan’s sisters, were among those arrested at D-Chowk and were shifted to a police station.
The proposed constitutional amendments, reportedly aimed at giving the political executive more power over the judiciary, have emerged as the latest flashpoint between the government and the opposition PTI.
The opposition, mainly led by Khan’s PTI, has slammed the proposed reforms, calling them “unconstitutional.” Among the key suggestions is the creation of a new Federal Constitutional Court alongside the Supreme Court. The Constitutional Court would handle petitions related strictly to interpretations of constitutional clauses.
The proposed amendments also include raising the retirement age of judges in the Constitutional Court to 68, compared to 65 for other judges. Furthermore, judges serving in the Constitutional Court would have a maximum term of three years. By contrast, judges in other courts have no term limits beyond the retirement age.
According to the proposals, the chief justice of the Constitutional Court would be appointed by the president, on the recommendation of the prime minister. Currently, appointments to the Supreme Court are made by a Judicial Commission, which considers senior judges from the high courts and recommends names to a parliamentary committee for confirmation.
The party is also pushing for Khan’s release from prison, where he has been since August last year. Witnesses said authorities have dug trenches and laid iron nails on a stretch of the Islamabad-Peshawar motorway to prevent protesters from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province from reaching the capital.
Meanwhile, police and other law-enforcement agencies encircled Adiala jail Rawalpindi and Adiala Road to avoid any untoward incident. Over 30 people were arrested for violating Section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, which allows the district administration to outlaw gatherings of more than four people due to security threats.
The ban was imposed in Islamabad, Lahore, Rawalpindi, Attock, and Sargodha ahead of Friday’s protest. The Punjab government also issued a notification summoning the paramilitary Rangers force “to maintain law and order” in Rawalpindi, Islamabad’s twin city.
“It’s every Pakistani’s right to protest, but not like this,” Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi told reporters. “They have a right to hold a rally, but not the way it’s going on.” Naqvi accused PTI supporters of coming armed, prompting the police response.
“We have state guests here and also other delegations,” Naqvi said, referring to a visit this week by the prime minister of Malaysia and delegations from China and Saudi Arabia expected later this month, as well as the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit which Islamabad will host.
“Then we have teams of other heads of states that are arriving here. We have to ensure their security at every cost.”
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