Former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan is expected to address thousands of supporters on Saturday to call for snap elections in his first public appearance since surviving an assassination attempt he accuses of his successor.
The November 3 attack, in which the ex-PM was injured in the legs, is the latest development after months of political tension. The crisis began when Imran Khan was ousted from power following a vote of no confidence in the National Assembly.
Saturday’s rally in Rawalpindi, a town bordering Islamabad, is the main stage of a “long march” organized by his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI, Pakistan Justice Movement) party to pressure the government to to secure early elections before the end of Parliament’s mandate next October.
“My life is in danger and despite my injuries I go to Rawalpindi for the nation,” PTI tweeted Saturday morning, quoting Mr Khan. “My nation will come to Pindi (short for city) for me”.
The rally is taking place in a large open area between the capital and Rawalpindi, a garrison town where the army headquarters is located.
Convoys of PTI supporters poured in from across the country on Saturday morning. Party flags flew on buses, trucks and cars.
Authorities have set up a huge security barrier around the capital to prevent supporters of the former international cricket star-turned-politician from entering government buildings. Thousands of security forces were deployed, roads were blocked by containers.
“Alarm red”
Protests organized by Khan, 70, escalated into chaos in May, with the capital blocked and clashes between police and protesters across the country.
Police said any attempt by PTI supporters to enter Islamabad would be firmly repressed this time.
Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah, who Khan says is implicated in “the assassination” along with current Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and a senior military official, issued a “red alert” on Friday, warning of security threats from the assembly.
“The PTI still has time (to cancel),” he said, citing the Pakistani Taliban and al-Qaeda among extremist groups that could be pursuing Mr Khan.
The government alleges that the attempted murder of the latter was the work of a single man who is currently in custody. Police have released a “confession” video of this junk shop owner saying he acted because Imran Khan opposed Islam.
Saturday’s rally comes two days after the government named a former spymaster as its next military chief.
The appointment of General Syed Asim Munir has ended months of speculation over a post long thought to be the real power in the nuclear-armed Islamic nation of 220 million.
Syed Asim Munir served under Khan as head of the all-powerful military intelligence agency (ISI), but his tenure ended after just eight months.
Pakistan’s army, the sixth largest in the world, has significant influence over the country. Since gaining independence in 1947, it has carried out at least three coups and has remained in power for more than three decades.