Pakistan mobilizes 22,000 security forces in Islamabad as PTI, Jamaat-i-Islami and farmers plan opposition marches for coming week.
Pakistan is mobilizing over 22,000 security personnel in Islamabad and 30,000 in nearby Attock district to prepare for planned opposition marches and sit-ins scheduled for the coming week. PTI, Jamaat-i-Islami, and farmers’ groups have announced separate long marches to the capital, prompting authorities to seal entry points with shipping containers and restrict police leave through October.
- ▪Eight senior police officers (DIGs) will lead deployment of 22,000 forces in Islamabad, supported by 10 SSPs, 40 SPs, and 58 DSPs
- ▪Attock district, gateway between Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab, receiving 30,000 additional personnel from multiple provinces
- ▪Police leave banned in Rawalpindi district through October 1 except in extreme emergencies
- ▪Authorities seizing containers to block 30 entry points to Islamabad-Rawalpindi twin cities, including 11 in Rawalpindi
- ▪PTI planning long march on September 27 demanding release of founder Imran Khan
- ▪Jamaat-i-Islami calling march against petroleum product levy; Kissan Ittehad seeking farmer relief
- ▪Out-of-district officers accommodated in 13 hotels and guest houses across federal capital
- ▪Senior officers housed in Islamabad Hotel and Blue Area hotels; junior ranks assigned budget accommodations and government buildings
- ▪Reinforcements arriving from Sheikhupura, DG Khan, Multan, Faisalabad and Punjab Constabulary units
Source: according to local media reports
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