Imran Khan: Why supporters of former Pakistani prime minister dey protest go Islamabad?

Supporters of Imran Khan – di former prime minister of Pakistan wey currently dey for prison – dey do ogbonge protest to march towards di capital Islamabad to demand for im release.

Many of di protesters include women and children and dem come the south-western province of Balochistan, several kilometres away from Islamabad, and dem don dey road reach four days.

Imran Khan don dey behind bars for more dan one year, but e still remain a dominant force for Pakistan opposition politics.

Im name still dey trend for newspaper and di courts. Im social media supporters no wan gree for anybody.

Since dem remove am from power for 2022, come put am for jail di following year, Khan lawyers and family don become im messengers, painting him as leader wey o dey bow.

Outside di prison, im supporters don prove to be ogbonge force as dem dey stage ogbongeprotests, such as di one wey dey happen dis Tuesday as dem dey march to Islamabad.

Khan wife, Bushra Bibi and one lawmaker Ali Amin Gandapur from Peshawar na dem dey lead di convoy of protesters to di capital.

She address di crowd wen dem reach one key motorway about 50km away from Islamabad, and she say dem no go end di march until di goment release Khan.

“Until Khan come to us, we no go end dis march,” Bushra Bibi tok.

Dem bin also put her for prison alongside her husband but court grant her bail for October.

“I go stand till my last breath and una need to support me,” she tok.

“Dis one no be just about my husband but about dis country and its leader.”

Di goment don mobilise hundreds of police and army personnel to try stop di protesters wey dia destination na di parliament for D Chowk

Islamabad now dey under lockdown, major roads and highways leading into di city don dey blocked, and mobile service don dey suspended.

Goment use containers wey dem put on top each oda to block di major roads leading to D Chowk, but protesters don climb di barricades wan cross over.

Di man for di centre of di protests no dey dia.

Imran Khan don dey inside prison for more dan one year sake of allegations wey include corruption, instigating violence and illegal marriage.

E tok say all di charges dey politically motivated.

Di former cricket captain of Pakistan na still a very popular figure, and even from behind bars im name na still di dominant force for Pakistan opposition politics.

Asides from being a former Cricket superstar, Khan na also honorary fellow of di Keble College for Oxford University, wia e bin study philosophy, politics and economics (PPE) for 1972.

During elections for February dis year, im party – Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) – emerge as di single largest bloc, even though di goment bin ban di party from di elections, forcing dia members to run as independent candidates.

But dem fell short of a majority and dia rivals join body to form new government.

Khan bin serve four years as prime minister before e lose a vote of no-confidence for parliament in 2022.

Tori be say im bin fall out wit di kontri powerful military.

One of di accuse wey di Pakistan goment dey accuse Imran Khan of be say e bin fail to correctly declare di sale of state gifts.

Khan win election as prime minister for 2018, but dem comot am afta one no-confidence vote in 2022.

Di 71-year-old tok say di charges dey politically motivated, and a United Nations panel tok say im detention no follow.

But though Khan remain for jail with new cases against im name, e still dey dominate di country politics.

Among di notable figures wey dey join dis protests na Bushra Bibi, Imran Khan third and current wife, and Pakistan former first lady.

Known as Bushra Maneka before her marriage to Khan, Bibi na faith healer and spiritual adviser when di two first met.

Khan bin Bibi house for advice regarding Sufism, one religious tradition inside Islam wey dey emphasis di inner search for God and di renunciation of worldly matters.

Court bin sentence di couple to jail in January and fine dem more dan $2m each for one corruption case.

Di court find dem guilty of illegally profiting from state gifts – including perfumes, dinner sets and diamond jewellery – wen Khan bin dey office.

E no dey clear wetin be Bibi role for di matter – but Gohar Ali Khan di acting chairman and lawyer of di Khan political party, say na anoda way to put pressure on di former prime minister.

Bibi dey appear for all public wearing a niqab, a long garment wey some Muslim women dey wear to cover dia entire body and face, apart from dia eyes.