Islamabad closes key routes before planned Khan protest march
Police say sections of three major roads will close as PTI supporters prepare to march on 27 September. The duration of the closures is unclear.
Police in Islamabad say sections of the Islamabad–Peshawar Motorway, Islamabad–Dera Ismail Khan Motorway and Grand Trunk Road will close from Wednesday evening. They urged the public to plan travel accordingly.
The closures precede a planned 27 September march by supporters of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), who are calling for jailed former prime minister Imran Khan’s release. Dawn reported the closures were indefinite.
Dawn also reported that about 2,000 shipping containers had been placed around the capital and at Attock Bridge, with containers and sandbags at Haroon Bridge. Nearly 30,000 security personnel were deployed in Attock district, the newspaper reported.
The government has urged PTI to reconsider its plans. The party says peaceful protest is its constitutional right. Whether the march will proceed as planned remains unclear.
Khan has been jailed since August 2023 following a series of convictions. PTI says the cases are politically motivated; all but one conviction have since been suspended or overturned on appeal, according to Al Jazeera.
Separately, Jamaat-e-Islami has postponed its march against fuel prices until its leader can meet Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, at the prime minister’s request.
