Map: How Imran Khan’s supporters rattled Pak’s security with Islamabad march

Pakistan’s political and security leadership were in a bind as supporters of jailed Prime Minister Imran Khan battled security forces barely a few kilometers from the places where members of foreign delegation held talks with officials in the heart of capital Islamabad on Tuesday.

Social media videos geolocated by India Today’s Open-Source Intelligence (OSINT) team suggested protest caravans swarmed Islamabad’s Blue Area and Red Zone from two main roads – Iran Avenue in north and Srinagar Highway in south. Severe clashes were reported from Jinnah Avenue – the arterial road passing through the “Blue Area” to the D Chowk, the protesters’ destination.

At least six people were killed as protesters clashed with security forces and police personnel, breaching the iron wall of shipping containers placed on main roads leading to the high security “Red Zone”.

Islamabad’s Red Zone houses several high-profile institutions, like the parliament house, the prime minister’s residence, cabinet secretariat, presidential palace, supreme court, and the election commission.

The Pakistan Tahree-e-Insaf’s (PTI) march to the parliament house coincided with the visit of Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko’s visit. Members of his 68-member delegation held several meetings between Monday, November 25 and Wednesday, November 27.

A photo shared on X (formerly Twitter) by the Belarusian foreign ministry revealed that business delegations of Belarus and Pakistan held a meeting at the Islamabad Marriott Hotel on November 25. The hotel falls in the capital city’s “Blue Area” that was flooded by PTI supporters a day later.

On November 26, President Lukashenko held talks with PM Shehbaz Sharif at the latter’s official residence, which falls just about 1.5 km from the iconic D-Chowk where protesters camped for hours before being pushed away at night.

SECURITY CONCERNS

On Tuesday, thousands of protesters were almost everywhere in Islamabad’s “Blue Area” and on the two main entry roads – Iran Avenue and Srinagar Highway – effectively choking the city.

During the diplomatic visit, Islamabad was virtually sealed off by containers to stop the protesters. Footage and images published on social media and news publications showed barbed wires placed on roads leading to the parliament house and police firing tear gas shells at many locations.

It’s not clear where Lukashenko stayed during his visit is not. In the past, foreign delegations have been put at two hotels – Marriott and Serena. The locality where they are situated were swarmed by protesters on Tuesday.

The protests forced Sri Lankan Cricket’s A team to cut short their visit without completing their series against Pakistan Shaheens. The two games were scheduled to take place in Rawalpindi on Wednesday and Friday. The stadium in Rawalpindi that remained paralysed due to protests for three days in a row on Wednesday.

Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium is one of the proposed venues for the upcoming Champions Trophy. At present, the fate of the series hangs in balance after India’s decision to not send its team to Pakistan. Speculations are rife that the tournament might be played on a hybrid model with some matches being played in Dubai.