International Desk: On Friday (October 4), all the roads leading to Islamabad were closed and the government of Pakistan installed shipping containers on all the main roads and highways around. Besides, mobile network services have been stopped in Islamabad and Rawalpindi since morning.

All roads into Islamabad were closed on Friday (October 4) to prevent a pre-announced rally by Imran Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Party (PTI). For this reason, the government of Pakistan has installed shipping containers on all the main roads and highways around. Besides, mobile network services have been stopped in Islamabad and Rawalpindi since morning.

It is known that the Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif's government has deployed paramilitary rangers and additional police as the PTI refused to call off the protest.

Section 144 has been imposed in Islamabad and schools have been closed since last Wednesday.

Video posted online showed police deploying shipping containers on a key highway near the northwestern province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

The provincial government has deployed heavy machinery to quell the protests, officials said.

The government imposed a ban on gatherings this week. Ignoring the ban, Imran's supporters announced a march from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to Islamabad.

Videos posted by the PTI on social media showed police arresting some PTI supporters from Islamabad and using batons and tear gas to prevent protesters from entering the capital.

Nawaz Sharif's main political rival Imran Khan has been in jail for over a year in more than 150 cases filed by the police. Despite this, he is still a popular figure in the country. Political critics and his party claim that these cases are politically motivated.

In 2022, Imran was ousted by a no-confidence vote in parliament and arrested in 2023 on corruption charges.

The disconnection of mobile networks in Islamabad and Rawalpindi on Friday disrupted communication and disrupted basic services such as online banking, ride and food delivery.

Meanwhile, the common people have suffered due to road blockades.

Earlier, on Thursday, Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi urged Imran Khan's party to call off the protests.

He warned that "no concessions will be made" if protests defy the ban.

He told reporters in Islamabad on Friday that the supporters of Imran Khan are marching towards Islamabad armed. They should think about what message their armed protests are sending to the people of Pakistan.

Naqvi said, 'I am saying very clearly, they are going to attack Islamabad.'

He also said that the government will not allow anyone to harm the country.

On the other hand, Imran Khan's spokesperson Zulfiqar Bukhari rejected the government's demand to call off the protests, saying it was their constitutional right to hold peaceful rallies.

A message on Imran Khan's social media account urged supporters to join the protest.

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It also says that the ruling dictators want to terrorize us.

Sharif's government says that Imran Khan's party wants to weaken the country's economy by carrying out violent protests.

Pakistan, which recently received a $7 billion loan from the International Monetary Fund, is struggling to overcome its economic crisis.

On Friday, Imran Khan's supporters gathered in Swabi town of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province and started a march towards Islamabad.

Provincial Chief Minister Ali Amin Gundapur planned to join the march.

Earlier this Ali Amin Gundapur had led a huge rally near Islamabad last month demanding the release of Imran Khan.

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