NEW DELHI: Pakistan is bracing for massive protests amidst death rumours about former Prime Minister Imran Khan. Public gatherings have been banned in Rawalpindi, and Section 144 has been imposed amidst demands by Khan’s supporters to have access to him.
This has led Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to rush back to Pakistan from London as President Asif Ali Zardari called for an urgent session of Parliament. The joint session would discuss a host of issues, including ties with Afghanistan and also Imran Khan. It will also address issues in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and Balochistan. Both regions have been on the boil, and in recent months, the Pakistan army has faced severe casualties here.
An official said that the establishment in Pakistan wants a change in administration in KP. This session comes in the wake of the Sharif government, at the insistence of the Pakistan army, deciding to impose Governor’s rule in KP. If Pakistan's National Assembly approves such a move, it would oust Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi from power. He is part of the Imran Khan-led Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI).
The government has been citing law and order issues to impose Governor’s rule in KP. Supporters of Imran Khan, including his family members, have been protesting relentlessly after the administration refused to allow them to meet him. This has fuelled many rumours about Khan. His family members and supporters have been demanding to meet with him after rumours about his death began to float around.