Pakistan blocks key Islamabad roads ahead of protests
Pakistani media reported that the country’s security agencies have blocked major highways in Islamabad with shipping containers to prevent protesters from reaching sensitive administrative and diplomatic areas, a move that could disrupt urban traffic and economic activity in the capital.
Pakistan’s Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, speaking at a news conference and referring to an Islamabad High Court order, said political gatherings without permission are banned in the capital and that any violation of the law would be dealt with through legal action.
He also criticised the provincial government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, which is run by the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party, saying authorities there should focus on containing rising terrorism and armed attacks rather than mobilising resources for street protests.
At the request of Pakistan’s central government, 23,500 auxiliary police personnel are to be deployed to Islamabad from the provinces of Punjab, Sindh and Balochistan to protect government sites.
These measures come as Jamaat-e-Islami has called for a march on September 20 in protest against the cost of living and fuel taxes. The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party has also announced a protest for September 27 aimed at pressuring the government to release former Pakistani prime minister Imran Khan.
Imran Khan has been in detention since August 2023. The overlap of economic and political protests with rising insecurity in parts of Pakistan has increased concerns about further pressure on the country’s security and economic situation.
Islamabad is Pakistan’s capital and the centre of the country’s government institutions and foreign diplomatic missions. In previous years, blocking the city’s main roads during protests has also disrupted public transport and slowed travel between the capital and neighbouring provinces.
