Nationwide security restrictions, shutdown of the internet and barricadedered ways. Protestant in Pakistan's capital Islamabad has met av several security measures from authorities and lett to violent clashes between security forces and thousands of protesters. Imran Khan became Pakistan's first prime minister to be ousted by a motion of no confidence, but among many of his supporters, support remains strong.
Thousands of protesters gathered in late November in Pakistan's capital Islamabad to show their support for jailed former prime minister Imran Khan. The demonstrations have aroused strong reactions from the authorities which has, among other things, introduced security restrictions, barricades on the roads towards the capital and shutdown of internet services.
Former Prime Minister Imran Khan was ousted in a parliamentary no-confidence vote in 2022. He has since then led a campaign against the current government of Prime Minister Sharif whom Khan accuses of colluding with the military to oust him. Something the military denies.
Khan's supporters also believe that the general election in February should be neither free nor fair and call it a "stolen mandate".
The independent Islamabad-based election observer network Free and Fair Election Network (FAFEN) notes in its preliminary report that opposition parties reported threats and restrictions on their campaign activities, but did not go so far as to indicate electoral fraud.
However, they note that shortly before the election, Khan's party lost the right to use its party symbol on the ballot papers. Something that can affect a party's chances in a country where just under 40 percent of the population cannot read.
FAFEN believes that the election, despite some security challenges and violence, was conducted relatively peacefully. Some shortcomings noted in the report are delays in determining constituencies, shortcomings in reporting results, problems with the distribution of ballot papers, illegal campaigning on election day and lack of law enforcement in some areas.
Protesters' demands: Frige Khan and other "political prisoners"
The protesters are demanding the release of Khan and others they consider political prisoners. They also want a new constitutional amendment to be repealed because the amendment increases the government's power to appoint judges to the Supreme Court and to choose which judges will hear political cases including those involving Imran Khan.
In response to calls for Khan's release, the government says only the legal system has the mandate to order Khan's release. He has been incarcerated since his first conviction, a bribery case in August 2023, and has since been sentenced in several cases whose sentences have been overturned on appeal. Khan remains in custody pending verdicts in other pending cases.

Reactions to Khan's charges have at times turned violent. On 9 May 2023, thousands of Khan's supporters attacked and burned down several military buildings and offices, including the military headquarters in Rawalpindi. This in protest against Khan's arrest on bribery charges. At least eight people were killed in the violence.
Thursday, December 5 was charged Khan for inciting attacks on the military, a case stemming from anti-government demonstrations led by his party last year. Khan maintains his innocence and his party has announced it will contest the charges.
Khan's wife Bushra Khan, who reportedly led the protest march to the capital on November 25, has received one arrest warrant issued against her with the explanation that, despite repeated summonses, she has not been present for a bribery case.
The authorities' handling of Khan's supporters has drawn criticism. IN a press release Commenting on reports of several deaths and mass arrests of protesters from Imran Khan's opposition party Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) in Islamabad on November 26 and 27 this year, Babu Ram Pant, Deputy Regional Director for South Asia at Amnesty International, comments:
- Once again, protesters in Pakistan have been subjected to a brutal and deadly crackdown surrounded by an emotional cover-up by the authorities. The escalation of violence, the shutdown of mobile internet services, mass arrests and the authorities' alarmist rhetoric against PTI protesters testify to a pattern of intolerance towards the right to freedom of peaceful assembly throughout the country.
About Imran Khan
Imran Khan, born in 1952 and raised in the city of Lahore, studied at Oxford and became a prominent cricketer after, among other things, leading Pakistan to World Cup victory in 1992.
After retiring from cricket, Khan continued to raise millions of dollars to fund a cancer hospital in his mother's memory. This philanthropic path is said to have been the starting point for his political career.
He was elected prime minister in July 2018 on promises to fight corruption and fix the ailing economy. But dissatisfaction with his rule grew after unfulfilled promises to build an "Islamic welfare state" along with rising food costs.
After barely four years, he was kicked out by his opponents in parliament, making him the first prime minister in Pakistan's history to be ousted by a vote of no confidence.
Khan was then arrested in August 2023 for allegedly selling gifts worth more than 140 million rupees (about SEK 5 million) that he received during his tenure as prime minister and that belonged to the state. As of early 2024, Khan's lawyers are reported to have said he was facing 170 different legal cases.