Opposition PTI’s protest march, set to resume tomorrow, delayed by two days

In this photograph taken on November 1, 2022, Pakistan's former prime minister Imran Khan speaks while taking part in an anti-government march in Gujranwala. (Photo courtesy: AFP/File)
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Updated 07 November 2022
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Opposition PTI’s protest march, set to resume tomorrow, delayed by two days

  • Announcement comes after Imran Khan said march toward Islamabad would resume on Tuesday
  • Rawalpindi administration closes educational institutions for two days due to political unrest

ISLAMABAD: Former prime minister Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party said on Monday a planned protest march to the capital had been delayed to Thursday, a day after the ex-premier had said the movement toward the capital would resume on Tuesday.

Khan’s march on the capital was suspended in Wazirabad, a district in eastern Punjab province, after a gunman opened fire, wounding him and killing one of his supporters on Thursday. Thirteen others were injured.

Khan said the march would pick up again from Wazirabad on Tuesday and he would join it after it reached Rawalpindi, the neighboring city to Islamabad.

On Monday, PTI senior leader Chaudhry Fawad Hussain said on Twitter the “long march” would resume from Wazirabad at 2pm on Wednesdayinstead of Tuesday.

Just hours later, Senator Faisal Javed Khan, who was also wounded in Thursday’s gun attack, announced a new date for the relaunch of the march.

The announcement of delays in the movement’s resumption came as PTI supporters had blocked the Lahore and Peshawar motorways to Islamabad, as well as many other roads around the capital, to protest the attack on the former premier. In Rawalpindi, protesters set tires on fire and blocked the city’s main artery, Murree Road, while long queues of traffic were seen on different roads of Islamabad leading to the Grand Trunk Road, another highway connecting the country.

Islamabad police said in a statement it had dispatched capital police and paramilitary Rangers troops to the protest sites after the Islamabad motorway was blocked. Police have also requested the federal government to issue instructions to provincial governments to keep the motorways and roads leading to the airport open.

Islamabad police warned political activists against staging demonstrations in the capital without permission.

“All political people are requested to protest at the designated place with the permission of the administration,” police said.

In the eastern city of Lahore, the PTI staged a protest demonstration outside the Governor House, demanding the registration of the police first information report (FIR) in the attack on the party chief.

Addressing the protesters, provincial health minister Dr. Yasmin Rashid said thousands had gathered outside the Governor House to express solidarity with ex-premier Khan.

PTI senior leader Asad Umar shared a breakdown of the planned long march on Twitter:

The Rawalpindi district administration announced educational institutions would remain closed for two days in view of the ongoing political situation.

“Due to the prevailing law and order situation of the country, the competent authority has decided that all education institutions (government as well as private) situated in Tehsil Rawalpindi shall remain closed for two days (Nov 8 and Nov 9),” a notification issued by the deputy commissioner on Monday said.

During demonstrations in Rawalpindi, one protesters was electrocuted to death after he climbed up an electric pylon.


Islamabad says surge in aircraft orders after India standoff could end IMF reliance

Updated 06 January 2026
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Islamabad says surge in aircraft orders after India standoff could end IMF reliance

  • Pakistani jets came into the limelight after Islamabad claimed to have shot down six Indian aircraft during a standoff in May last year
  • Many countries have since stepped up engagement with Pakistan, while others have proposed learning from PAF’s multi-domain capabilities

ISLAMABAD: Defense Minister Khawaja Asif on Tuesday said Pakistan has witnessed a surge in aircraft orders after a four-day military standoff with India last year and, if materialized, they could end the country’s reliance on the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

The statement came hours after a high-level Bangladeshi defense delegation met Pakistan’s Air Chief Marshal Zaheer Ahmed Baber Sidhu to discuss a potential sale of JF-17 Thunder aircraft, a multi-role fighter jointly developed by China and Pakistan that has become the backbone of the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) over the past decade.

Fighter jets used by Pakistan came into the limelight after Islamabad claimed to have shot down six Indian aircraft, including French-made Rafale jets, during the military conflict with India in May last year. India acknowledged losses in the aerial combat but did not specify a number.

Many countries have since stepped up defense engagement with Pakistan, while delegations from multiple other nations have proposed learning from Pakistan Air Force’s multi-domain air warfare capabilities that successfully advanced Chinese military technology performs against Western hardware.

“Right now, the number of orders we are receiving after reaching this point is significant because our aircraft have been tested,” Defense Minister Asif told a Pakistan’s Geo News channel.

“We are receiving those orders, and it is possible that after six months we may not even need the IMF.”

Pakistan markets the Chinese co-developed JF-17 as a lower-cost multi-role fighter and has positioned itself as a supplier able to offer aircraft, training and maintenance outside Western supply chains.

“I am saying this to you with full confidence,” Asif continued. “If, after six months, all these orders materialize, we will not need the IMF.”

Pakistan has repeatedly turned to the IMF for financial assistance to stabilize its economy. These loans come with strict conditions including fiscal reforms, subsidy cuts and measures to increase revenue that Pakistan must implement to secure disbursements.

In Sept. 2024, the IMF approved a $7 billion bailout for Pakistan under its Extended Fund Facility (EFF) program and a separate $1.4 billion loan under its climate resilience fund in May 2025, aimed at strengthening the country’s economic and climate resilience.

Pakistan has long been striving to expand defense exports by leveraging its decades of counter-insurgency experience and a domestic industry that produces aircraft, armored vehicles, munitions and other equipment.

The South Asian country reached a deal worth over $4 billion to sell military equipment to the Libyan National Army, Reuters report last month, citing Pakistani officials. The deal, one of Pakistan’s largest-ever weapons sales, included the sale of 16 JF-17 fighter jets and 12 Super Mushak trainer aircraft for basic pilot training.