Containers Block Islamabad, Rawalpindi Routes for Khan Rally

Authorities in Islamabad and neighboring Rawalpindi have placed shipping containers across major roads ahead of a Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) march demanding the release of imprisoned former Prime Minister Imran Khan. The march, initially scheduled for September 27, was postponed to October 4, but barriers remain on routes to the high-security Red Zone, which includes parliament, government offices and foreign embassies. The blockade has disrupted commutes and business and prompted school closures, while police and other security forces have been placed on high alert. Officials say the measures are intended to prevent disorder and protect the capital; PTI leaders condemn them as an attempt to suppress democratic rights. Khan, imprisoned since 2023 after multiple convictions, and his party say the cases against him are politically motivated, a claim the government rejects.