@ India-West News Desk

ISLAMABAD – At least one police officer has been killed and over 50 injured, Pakistan’s authorities said, as thousands of supporters of jailed former Prime Minister Imran Khan pressed on with their march toward Islamabad despite a security lockdown.

The protest, led by Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party, has plunged the capital into its second day of unrest.

Demanding Khan’s release, the protesters have braved barricaded highways, arrests, and a near-total communications blackout. The PTI claims the government has arrested thousands of its members to suppress the movement, with Punjab provincial police reporting over 4,000 detentions, including five parliamentarians.

Khan, who has been in custody since August 2023 on multiple charges, continues to draw massive public support.

His wife, Bushra Bibi, the BBC reported, has vowed that the march will continue until he is freed, rallying protesters with the message that this is Khan’s “final call.”

Security measures in the capital have been intensified, coinciding with a visit by Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko. Public transport in Punjab has been halted, and gatherings remain banned under orders from the Interior Ministry.