‘Enough is enough’: Pakistan’s Islamabad on edge before Imran Khan protest

Locals are upset about movement restrictions and an internet blackout before a rally by former PM Imran Khan’s PTI. And many blame both the government and the PTI

Barriers deter entry into Islamabad: Pakistan govt tries to block Imran Khan supporters

Islamabad, Pakistan – For Mohammad Zaheer, a 14-year-old ninth-grader at a government school in Islamabad, the unexpected Monday holiday was a chance to play cricket with his friends on empty roads, free from the worry of vehicles disrupting their game.

His only concern? Whether there would be another holiday on Tuesday.

“I hope there is, so our school stays closed for another day, and I can hang out with my friends,” Zaheer cheerfully told Al Jazeera on Monday morning.

Zaheer’s school, along with all other educational institutions in Islamabad, was closed – not for a public holiday, but due to the anticipated arrival of thousands of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) supporters for a major protest in the national capital.

Thousands of PTI members and supporters had begun a march from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa – a province where the party is in power – to Islamabad on November 24, pledging to lay siege to the capital until their leader and party founder, Imran Khan, is released from jail.

The protesters have reached close to the boundary of Islamabad, despite facing obstacles and amid clashes with police. The convoy, led by Khan’s wife Bushra Bibi, is expected to arrive in the capital later in the evening on Monday.

Khan, a former prime minister, has been imprisoned since August 2023 on multiple charges.

Despite his incarceration, Khan issued a “final call” on November 14, urging supporters to take to the streets on November 24 to protest against the “stolen mandate” of this year’s