Pakistani security forces turned back thousands of supporters of imprisoned former Prime Minister Imran Khan who attempted to enter Islamabad and demand his release. Police launched a major midnight raid on thousands of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) members after they disobeyed official warnings and broke through a shipping container barricade preventing entry to Islamabad on Tuesday.

During the commotion, the protestors, led by Mr Khan’s wife, Bushra Bibi, and his close aide Ali Amin Gandapur, moved toward the capital’s guarded Red Zone. The government declared a lockdown, barricaded highways, and deployed strong security to prevent the demonstration, citing a threat to public safety.

Tensions have been high in Islamabad since Sunday, when supporters of the former prime minister staged a “long march” from the restive northwest demanding his release. Mr Khan has been imprisoned for more than a year and faces over 150 criminal allegations, which his party alleges are politically motivated. The PTI stated on Wednesday that “around 100” persons were hurt by gunshot during the protests on Tuesday, although this figure could not be independently verified.

Previously, the government imposed a three-day lockdown in the capital to prevent demonstrators from entering D-Chowk, a central crossroads known as the “red zone”. Major highways and roads were closed up with shipping containers, concrete barriers, and strong security, while mobile data connections were suspended in several regions. Messaging platforms, as well as social networking platform X, were interrupted in the capital.

Meanwhile, Islamabad remained tight on Wednesday, with all educational institutions shuttered and mobile data services halted for the fourth straight day due to rising political turmoil. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif criticized the clashes, which injured numerous security personnel. Mr Khan wrote on X on Tuesday in a message to his supporters from his prison in Rawalpindi: “I commend the Pakistani nation and PTI’s political workers, who are fighting for their rights by participating in this peaceful protest, and resolutely standing before the mafia that has imposed itself upon our country, to demand their rights and genuine freedom.”