The BRICS TimesOver 1,300 security officers were deployed. They are maintaining law and order. This follows protest concerns from Imran Khan’s party workers.
Heavy security forces were deployed across Rawalpindi on Saturday. Authorities prepared for potential protests. This action followed a call from jailed former Pakistan prime minister Imran Khan. He urged his supporters to take to the streets. This was after his reported conviction in the Toshakhana 2 corruption case.
Security Mobilization in Rawalpindi
Officials confirmed the massive security deployment. More than 1,300 police officers and security personnel were put on duty. Their goal was to maintain law and order. Concerns over demonstrations by workers of Khan’s party were high. His party is the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), PTI news agency reported.
The deployed force included top officers. There were two superintendents of police. Seven deputy superintendents of police were also present. The force had 29 inspectors and station house officers. A total of 92 upper subordinates were mobilized. There were 340 constables on duty. This information was reported in The Express Tribune.
Specialized units were also mobilized. Seven sections of Elite Force commandos were deployed. Twenty-two Rapid Emergency and Security Operations personnel joined them. Also, 400 members of the Anti-Riots Management Wing were active. Apart from Khan’s PTI, the Jamaat-e-Islami group also announced protests. These protests were set for Sunday across Punjab. They were against the “Black Local Government Act 2025.” This prompted further police deployment.
Imran Khan’s Protest Call from Jail
The 73-year-old former PM and his wife Bushra Bibi received a sentence on Saturday. They were each sentenced to 17 years in prison. The sentence was for the Toshakhana 2 case, PTI reported. A special court announced this verdict. The court was located inside Rawalpindi’s high-security Adiala Jail. Khan has been detained there since August 2023.
Khan released a statement on his X account early Sunday. This happened soon after the court’s order. The PTI founder urged party leaders to prepare for a protest movement. He described the verdict as a “military-style trial decision.” It was not immediately known who posted the message. Khan does not have direct access to his social media accounts in jail. The post also did not specify when the protests would begin. “I have sent a message to (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister) Sohail Afridi to prepare for the street movement. The entire nation will have to rise for its rights,” Khan’s post added.
Understanding the Toshakhana 2 Case
The Toshakhana 2 case deals with alleged fraud. The fraud involved state gifts received by the former prime minister and his wife. The gifts were from the Saudi government in 2021, PTI reported.
Toshakhana is a government department. It is under Pakistan’s cabinet division. It stores gifts presented to officials by foreign dignitaries. These gifts can be purchased back. Prescribed rules and procedures govern this process. The case was filed in July 2024. It was based on specific allegations. Valuable items were sold by the couple without being deposited first. These items included expensive watches. They also included diamond and gold jewellery sets, the report added.
Sentence and Khan’s Reaction
Bushra Bibi received bail in October 2024. The Islamabad high court granted it. Imran Khan was granted bail in the same case a month later. Both were indicted in December last year. However, proceedings continued at Adiala Jail. They were already jailed there. Their imprisonment followed convictions earlier this year. That was for the Al-Qadir Trust case.
The accountability court announced its judgment. It sentenced Khan and Bushra Bibi to rigorous imprisonment. They received 10 years under Section 409 (criminal breach of trust). They also got seven years under Prevention of Corruption Act provisions. The court imposed a fine of PKR 16.4 million on each of them, PTI news agency reported.
Khan reacted to the judgment. He alleged continuous “mental torture” for him and his wife. They were allegedly kept in solitary confinement. “There is a ban on our books, TV, and meetings. Every prisoner in jail can watch TV, but even watching TV has been banned for me and Bibi Bushra,” he claimed.
Government on Sons’ Meeting
Meanwhile, the Pakistan government gave a statement on Saturday. They said there was “no embargo” on Khan’s sons meeting their father. This applied if they traveled to the country. Interior state minister Talal Chaudhry said, “There has been no embargo on Suleman Khan and Kasim Khan to meet their father, Imran Khan, at Adiala Jail, Rawalpindi.” Suleman and Kasim Khan live in London. They are Khan’s sons from his first marriage. His first wife was British TV personality Jemima Goldsmith.
Party leaders had raised concerns before. They were worried about restrictions on meetings. They alleged these limits were imposed. The reason given was that visitors used meetings for political purposes.
