Interior minister vows to ‘protect Islamabad’ as PTI convoys assemble for protest
With strict security in place, Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi has vowed to “protect Islamabad” as PTI convoys from various cities made their way to the capital for the party’s much-anticipated protest called for by its founder Imran Khan.
On Nov 13, Imran issued a “final call” for nationwide protests on Nov 24 (today), denouncing what he described as the stolen mandate, the unjust arrests of people and the passage of the 26th amendment, which he said has strengthened a “dictatorial regime”.
The Islamabad High Court (IHC) has ruled that PTI’s planned protest is unlawful and directed the federal government to take all necessary measures to maintain law and order in Islamabad without disrupting public life, particularly as the Belarusian president is scheduled to arrive over the weekend with a high-profile delegation.
Speaking at D-Chowk, the final destination of PTI’s main convoy, Naqvi said, “One option is that we let them come and […] paralyse Islamabad. The other option is to protect Islamabad.”
“Mobile services are working. The internet has been shut down,” the minister said.
Despite the security apparatus in place, Naqvi maintained that the blockades were “not as bad as last time” and that the government was trying to give as much relief as possible to those inconvenienced.
“The area where they (the PTI) have called the protest is a protected area of Islamabad, monitored by the IG and DIG,” Naqvi said. “Any protesters who enter that area will be arrested.”
Referring to the arrival of a Belarusian delegation in the capital, Naqvi said PTI supporters were coming on to the route through which the delegation was supposed to pass.
He criticised the PTI for organising protests today instead of attending the funerals being held in Kurram, referring to violent clashes there in the past few days.
Addressing the PTI demonstrators, he said: “If you wish to protest, that is your right, but you know exactly who is coming and you have been blocking off roads and causing trouble.”
In a televised statement, Minister for Information and Broadcasting Attaullah Tarar said that some routes in the city are closed, while others are still open. “The main highway is closed, but despite that people are out and about,” the minister said.
“The people responsible for the closure of the city are the PTI,” he said. “They are causing damage to businesspeople and the economy.”
Tarar added, “When a party tries to spread division, they do so through violence and property damage. We saw it during the 2014 sit-in, PTV was set on fire and the gates of Parliament were broken down.”
Earlier, a Dawn.com correspondent in Islamabad said mobile internet services were down across the city, while major roads, including motorways, were blocked with containers.
Pictures shared by the correspondent showed mostly deserted roads and people on motorbikes making their way from a narrow corner of a road blocked by trucks.
Internet tracking monitor Netblocks said WhatsApp backends have been restricted in Pakistan, according to a post on X at 1:07am.
“Live metrics show WhatsApp backends have been restricted in Pakistan corroborating reports of media sharing issues; the measure comes as authorities tighten security ahead of protests planned by opposition party PTI calling for the release of former PM Imran Khan,” Netblocks said.
A day ago, the interior ministry said that WiFi and mobile internet services would be suspended only in areas with “security concerns” and remain operational as normal in the rest of the country.
Rallies from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, where the PTI is in power, left for Islamabad early in the morning, according to the Dawn.com correspondent.
MPAs and MNAs of their respective constituencies are leading their convoys and would join the rallies at Burhan near Hazara interchange, the correspondent said, citing PTI leader Shaukat Yousafzai.
However, a heavy police contingent is present on GT Road and motorway at Attock’s Hassanabdal to stop the procession from reaching Islamabad.
In a post earlier today, the Islamabad police said Rawat T Cross was closed for traffic on both sides and only one lane was open at Chungi No.26 for traffic heading both ways.
“However, internal roads are partially open for traffic in Islamabad which can be used in case of extreme need,” the police said, urging citizens to avoid unnecessary travel.
“These constant protests are destroying the economy and creating instability … we want the political leadership to sit together and resolve these matters,” Muhammad Asif, 35, a resident of Islamabad told Reuters in front of a closed market.
In a separate post, the police shared pictures of its personnel stationed at various points to “ensure the imposition of Section 144”, which prohibits gatherings.
State broadcaster PTV News shared a post on X pointing out how there were “neither any people nor any flags” on Lahore’s Liberty Chowk, compared to previous instances “when the PTI used to hold its musical shows every other night”.
Punjab, especially Lahore, came to a grinding halt on Saturday after the entire intercity bus operation — particularly routes leading to Islamabad and Rawalpindi — were suspended.
The security at the Lahore railway station was also beefed up after a huge number of passengers thronged it in a bid to reach their destinations.
PTI claims arrests
In a post on X, the PTI claimed a “family that had reached D Chowk last night” had been arrested, sharing a video of a woman speaking from inside a prisoner van while another was taken inside too.
The woman asked for the reason for being detained, saying, “Okay, we can say sorry that we should not have come to this area.”
In another post, the PTI shared a video without specifying the location, saying: “The fascist regime has started, as expected, tear gas shelling against peaceful Pakistanis.”
PTI, in a separate post on X, claimed that the convoy of National Assembly opposition leader Omar Ayub was targeted near Taxila and shells were fired at it.
CM Gandapur, others lead convoys
Several convoys are en route to the capital, PTI shared in multiple posts on X.
According to a post on X, a main convoy led by KP Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur departed from CM House in Peshawar.
CM Gandapur, expected to lead the largest convoy into Islamabad, earlier called on people to gather near the entrance of the city’s red zone, known as “D Chowk”.
Islamabad’s red zone houses the country’s parliament building, important government installations, as well as embassies and foreign institutions’ offices.
“[Imran] Khan has called on us to remain there till all our demands are met,” he said in a video message yesterday.
A post on PTI MNA Asad Qaiser’s X account said his convoy will reach Swabi’s Ambar Interchange, where it will join CM Gandapur.
Supporters led by Omar Ayub also set off on their journey from Haripur, the PTI said.
Other convoys include those of PTI’s Peshawar president Irfan Saleem, KP health minister Pakhtunyar Khan’s convoy from Bannu, KP minister Dr Amjad Ali and law minister Advocate Aftab Alam.
In a post on X, former KP minister Taimur Khan Jhagra said: “To assume that unjust laws should just be followed, that try to protect state capture and make the judiciary subservient, is wrong.”
However, he appealed to all protesters: “Stay peaceful. At all costs. Do not let anyone sabotage your protest.”
Another post showed a convoy led by PTI South Punjab president Senator Aoun Abbas and MNA Zartaj Gul had departed for Islamabad.
A video shared by the party showed Gul standing atop a vehicle, waving a white flag and chanting “Imran Khan Zindabad. Release, release Imran Khan”.
A convoy led by the president of PTI’s Balochistan chapter was also on its way to Islamabad.
A convoy led by PTI leaders Usama Mela and Ansar Iqbal Haral also departed from Sargodha’s Kot Momin.
A post by the PTI on X called for protesters to carry signs and placards in English “in order to amplify our message globally.”
“Let our voices echo loud and clear as we stand united for justice, democracy, and a constitutional Pakistan!”
PTI leader Malik Ahmad Khan Bhachar, the Punjab Assembly opposition leader, had earlier said protesters would not leave Islamabad until their demands were accepted.
Since Imran’s arrest in August 2023 on several counts, his party has been holding protests across the country for his release and against the alleged rigging of the Feb 8 elections.
The last protest in Islamabad by the PTI in early October turned violent with one policeman killed, dozens of security personnel injured and protesters arrested. Both sides accused the other of instigating the clashes.
PTI will be exposed: Planning Minister Iqbal
Separately, while speaking at a press conference in Islamabad, Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal said “PTI’s act will be exposed today”.
“I am sure their act will be exposed today […] why are they spreading anarchy?
“Barrister Gohar said [it was to] release Imran Khan but he hasn’t been arrested by a deputy commissioner, [through] detention orders or any administrative orders […] the cases are in the courts and he will have to get himself cleared in those cases”
“If he thinks he is innocent that doesn’t mean you start causing destruction, it means you face your cases in court and tell your lawyers to get the cases disposed quickly,” he said referring to Imran’s legal challenges.
Nacta ‘terrorism’ alert
Also on Saturday, the National Counter Terrorism Authority (Nacta) issued an alert for possible terrorist attacks during the PTI’s march towards Islamabad, reliable sources told Dawn.
According to sources, the alert was issued after “technical and human” intelligence gathered by the apex counter-terrorism body revealed that terrorists were planning “major activities” in big cities of Pakistan.
Multiple sources confirmed “necessary preparations” by the terrorists in Afghanistan, who “entered into Pakistan” on the night between Nov 19 and 20. They were expected to station themselves in big cities, the sources added.
The terrorists, whom the government and the military refer to as Fitna-al-Khawarij, will possibly target the PTI’s protest “for their vested interest”, as per the sources.
Nacta has suggested authorities ensure extreme vigilance and heighten security measures to prevent the attack.
Preparations in full swing to prevent protest
The government has vowed to suppress the power show with full force, deploying massive security forces, enforcing a sweeping ban on gatherings, blocking highways and motorways and launching a crackdown on leaders and workers of the opposition party.
Islamabad Inspector General of Police (IGP) Syed Ali Nasir Rizvi said a “comprehensive security plan” had been formed to prevent mischief.
“If a road is closed, a lane has been kept open along it,” the IG said while speaking to the media, stressing that the purpose of the security plan was to secure the people’s lives and property.
“There are obstacles, but the movement of people has not been stopped,” he claimed, adding that action would be taken against people carrying weapons or prohibited items.
The capital police have prepared a list of over 1,500 PTI leaders and workers in Islamabad and constituted 27 teams to arrest them so they could not participate in the protest.
The police also arrested 350 other workers of the party, including leader Nafisa Khattak as well as a nephew and brother-in-law of the party’s Islamabad chapter president Amir Mughal.
An overnight crackdown was also launched in Azad Jammu and Kashmir, where some elected councillors were among those held. Besides Muzaffarabad police arresting 26 people, the houses of various leaders were also raided, including of AJK Assembly’s opposition leader Khawaja Farooq Ahmed.
The government has also put all public sector hospitals in Islamabad on high alert in order to meet any emergency situation.
Among methods to curtail the protest is the closure of various motorways and key arteries of Punjab, severing paths to Islamabad at multiple points.
The National Highways and Motorway Police (NHMP) announced that six key motorways would be closed for all types of traffic “due to maintenance” from Friday night, advising travellers to avoid unnecessary travel during this period.
The motorways closed to traffic are: M1 from Peshawar to Islamabad, M2 from Lahore to Islamabad, M3 from Lahore to Abdul Hakeem, M4 from Pindi Bhattian to Multan, M11 from Sialkot to Lahore, and M14 from Yarik to Hakla.
Meanwhile, local authorities blocked bridges over the Chenab and Jhelum rivers in Gujrat district to restrict PTI protesters’ movement towards Islamabad. The closure caused significant inconvenience to commuters who found themselves stuck in long queues of trucks and other vehicles on both sides of the rivers. Heavy containers and trolleys were parked on both sides of the bridges.
Separately, in a notification seen by Dawn.com, the office of the district magistrate in Islamabad ordered the closure of all public and private educational institutions in the capital territory tomorrow.
More to follow
Additional input from Reuters