Pakistan capital locked down, phone service suspended to stop rally by party of ex-leader Imran Khan

Associated Press

ISLAMABAD (AP) — Pakistani authorities have placed shipping containers on key roads and highways leading to the capital and suspended cellphone service in Islamabad in an attempt to prevent supporters of imprisoned former Prime Minister Imran Khan from holding a rally seeking his release. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s government also deployed paramilitary rangers and additional police and shut schools in Islamabad after Khan’s party refused to withdraw its call for the protest. Khan, Sharif’s main political rival, has been in prison for more than a year in connection with more than 150 police cases. He remains a popular figure despite the cases, which critics and his party say are politically motivated.