Protest March Reaches Islamabad: Calls for Khan's Release Intensify

Supporters of ex-Prime Minister Imran Khan reached Islamabad demanding his release, facing a security lockdown. Authorities have blocked roads and suspended public transport. Protests led by Khan's PTI party claim government repression. Islamabad prepares for the Belarusian President's visit amid heightened tensions.

In a bold display of dissent, supporters of Imran Khan, the former Pakistani Prime Minister, marched to the outskirts of Islamabad demanding his release. The protest, reported by Khan's party, comes amid violence in other regions, highlighting mounting political tension in the nation.

Security forces implemented a lockdown across the capital in a bid to prevent protesters, whom Khan encouraged to march and sit-in at parliament, from entering. Key roads were blocked using shipping containers, with a robust police presence, while Punjab's public transport shut down to suppress protester movement.

The protests arrive as Khan faces charges of corruption and violence instigation, claims he denies. Meanwhile, authorities, addressing an already complex security scenario, welcomed Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko, as police braced for potential unrest in Pakistan's politically dynamic capital.

(With inputs from agencies.)