Punjab and Sindh send police to Islamabad as capital braces for PTI march

ISLAMABAD: Thousands of police officers and personnel from Punjab and Sindh are heading for Islamabad to assist local authorities as the federal government tightens security ahead of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) planned march on September 27, police sources said.

The government's move comes as the PTI has announced the September 27 protest and march towards Islamabad to demand the release of its incarcerated founder Imran Khan and what it describes as the supremacy of the Constitution.

Around 1,950 police officers and personnel from Sindh are expected to reach Islamabad on Tuesday night, according to police sources. Punjab will also provide 19,000 police personnel and officers, with the contingent expected to reach the capital over the next two days.

The federal government had sought assistance from Punjab for 23,000 police personnel and officers, the police sources said.

The sources also said that arrangements for the stay of personnel from Sindh, Punjab and the Frontier Corps have also been completed.

The Islamabad High Court has also issued directions concerning the proposed march, including that public roads and other facilities should not be obstructed.

Meanwhile, Islamabad Police have arrested MNA Adil Bazai, taking the number of detained PTI lawmakers in the capital to six, according to police sources.

The detained lawmakers include Senator Saifullah Niazi, MNAs Sanaullah Masti Khel, Mian Ahsan Jamal, Dawar Kundi, Ghaus Muhammad and Adil Bazai. They have been detained under Section 3 of the Maintenance of Public Order (MPO) Ordinance and shifted to Jhelum Jail, according to reports.

Meanwhile, long lines of containers are being joined together through welding at different locations in Islamabad overnight as part of preparations to restrict movement during the protest.

Authorities had already begun arranging large numbers of containers to block key entry and exit points and major roads in the capital ahead of the September 27 mobilisation.

However, the party has maintained that it will proceed with the march and has described protest as its democratic and constitutional right.

Speaking to the media in Peshawar on Monday, PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan has said the party has been in contact with relevant people at the federal level and has conveyed its concerns over the recent arrests.

He has also urged the authorities to avoid further arrests, warning that such measures could aggravate the situation.

In a presser alongside Gohar and PTI leader Asad Qaiser, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi also reiterated the party’s commitment to the long march, saying the PTI would continue with its planned mobilisation.

"We are standing firm and we will conduct a long march. No one can strip us of our democratic right to protest," he stressed.

The detention of Imran's family members has further added to the tensions. His sisters, Noreen Niazi and Uzma Khan, have been detained and transferred to Kot Lakhpat Jail for 30 days, following the detention of their sister Aleema Khan. A petition challenging Aleema’s detention has also been filed in the Lahore High Court.

Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi has said the government will adopt a permanent strategy to prevent a repeat of prolonged disruption caused by demonstrations.

He has warned that Islamabad will not be allowed to remain shut for 10 to 20 days because of protests and said the government would implement the IHC's orders if the PTI proceeds with the march.

The government has maintained that its measures are aimed at maintaining public order and preventing disruption to routine life, while the PTI has criticised the arrests and other restrictions ahead of its planned protest.

Senate Opposition Leader Allama Raja Nasir Abbas said dialogue was the only viable way out of the current political crisis. He urged Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to form a committee of political leaders and have negotiating teams from the government and opposition sit down together.

He said any talks must involve empowered representatives with the authority to make decisions, adding that the opposition’s doors remained open.

The Tehreek-e-Tahafuz-e-Ayin-e-Pakistan (TTAP) also condemned Aleema Khan’s arrest, saying Imran had been “unjustly” jailed and that the women in his family were now being targeted for political revenge.

The TTAP also condemned the arrests of parliamentarians, political workers and ordinary citizens, as well as the blocking of highways with containers. It said responding to peaceful political activity with arrests and restrictions would only further worsen the political climate.