Authorities deployed over 1,300 police and security personnel across Rawalpindi on Saturday following former Pakistan prime minister Imran Khan’s call for nationwide protests against his 17-year jail sentence in a corruption case.
Khan, 73, and his wife Bushra Bibi were sentenced to 17 years in prison earlier in the day in the Toshakhana-II case, which relates to alleged irregularities in state gifts received from the Saudi government in 2021.
In a message posted on his X account early Sunday, Khan urged supporters of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) to mobilise, calling the verdict a “military-style decision.” It remains unclear who posted the message, as Khan has no access to social media while in custody.
The post did not specify a timeline for the protests.
According to officials quoted by The Express Tribune, the deployment included senior police officers, inspectors, station house officers, constables, Elite Force commandos, Rapid Emergency and Security Operations personnel, and members of the Anti-Riots Management Wing.
Police also set up 32 pickets at strategic locations and equipped personnel with anti-riot gear, including tear gas and rubber bullets.
Khan said he had instructed Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi to prepare for a street movement, adding that citizens must “rise for their rights.”
The former prime minister, jailed since August 2023, said the verdict was rushed and delivered without due process.
He alleged that he and his wife were being subjected to mental torture in solitary confinement and denied basic facilities.
Meanwhile, Jamaat-e-Islami also announced protests in Punjab against the Local Government Act 2025, prompting additional security deployment. No major disturbances were reported.
