The situation in Islamabad continued to remain tensed on Saturday, a day after violent clashes between PTI supporters and the police, while the party decided to go ahead with its Lahore protest amid blockades and high security.
Life in the capital and adjacent Rawalpindi remained disturbed for a second consecutive day with mobile network services suspended and major roads and entry points still blocked by containers.
Hundreds of PTI activists, including senior leaders, had gathered at multiple locations in Islamabad on Friday — defying heavy police blockades and road closures — for its planned protest at D-Chowk despite Section 144 in force.
Resultantly, Islamabad Police rounded up over 100 PTI members and supporters as violent clashes between protesters and law enforcement officials were reported throughout the day, with several instances of stone-pelting and tear gas exchanges being witnessed.
According to a Dawn.com correspondent in Islamabad, the major and link roads between the twin cities and entry points connecting from Motorway M1, M2 and Grand Trunk Road were still blocked by containers on Saturday.
He added that except for PTCL and Nayatel broadband services, all other mobile and internet services were down, causing major issues for the local residents. Schools were also closed in both cities for a second day.
Interestingly, the indictment of Imran and his wife Bushra Bibi in a Toshakhana graft case, which had been earlier deferred until today (October 5), was once again postponed due to the situation in Rawalpindi.
As roads remained blocked in the garrison city, the judges could not reach Adiala Jail to conduct the hearing. Subsequently, the hearings of Imran’s Toshakhana and £190m graft cases were adjourned till October 7 and October 8, respectively.
KP CM reaches capital as PTI to continue protest
The situation remained tense in Islamabad as the PTI seemed determined to continue its protest, despite claiming fresh incidents of tear-gas shelling at its supporters.
Imran renewed his call for the demonstrations, asking people to continue their journeys towards D-Chowk, as well as Lahore’s Minar-i-Pakistan for the planned rally there.
“You showed unfaltering resilience and courage as you came out yesterday and overcame unbelievable obstacles,” the former premier said according to a post on his X account.
“I especially want to commend our people from KP, North Punjab and Islamabad,” he added, saying they “defeated insurmountable obstacles, including shelling, chemicals fired from helicopters, trenches and nails on the motorway”.
The post, quoting Imran, called on the people to move towards Minar-i-Pakistan, adding that if they were unable to make it to Lahore, they should join the protest in their cities.
“This is a fight for our Haqeeqi Azadi (true freedom),” he said.
In a post on X at around 3pm, the PTI announced the arrival of its procession from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in Islamabad, which was being led by KP CM Ali Amin Gandapur.
Authorities had earlier dug trenches and placed iron nails on a stretch of the Islamabad-Peshawar motorway to prevent the caravan from reaching the capital.
In another post, the PTI alleged “Naqvi and PML-N have ordered massive tear gas shelling at D-Chowk”, sharing a purported video of the same.
Nawaz Mehmood, PTI KP chapter’s deputy general secretary who was present with protesters at Jinnah Avenue, told Dawn.com that their protest for the release of Imran and his fellow party leaders would continue at D-Chowk.
He urged party workers to avoid damaging public property, claiming that he saw plain-clothed people from security agencies trying to do the same to “repeat May 9” incidents.
“I request the building owners of Blue Area to not allow police deployment at their building rooftops as they are supposed to use teargas against PTI’s peaceful protesters,” he said.
120 Afghan nationals arrested during PTI clashes: Naqvi
Separately, interior minister Naqvi said on Saturday that a total of 120 Afghan nationals were arrested in the past 48 hours, with 41 of them “caught” in yesterday’s clashes between the PTI and the Islamabad police.
Speaking to the media in Islamabad today, Naqvi said: “Forty-one Afghan nationals were caught in yesterday’s clashes and a total of 120 Afghan nationals in the previous 48 hours, which is alarming […] a country’s own public protesting is a separate thing.”
He further said that the capital police were fired at near Pathargarh, where he said CM Gandapur’s caravan passed through.
“They were firing tear gas. How did they get so much tear gas?” the interior minister wondered, adding that “80 to 85 policemen” were injured as a result and were undergoing treatment.
Naqvi said there was “evidence of chats and groups” where people from “Bannu and tribal areas were being told to bring guns and weapons”.
Stating that he was in contact with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Naqvi asserted that the government would not allow the upcoming Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Islamabad to be “sabotaged”.
“Now we have an idea of their motives. The [PTI] leadership who ordered this is responsible. The KP CM is practically implementing this and is responsible as he is leading the protest,” Naqvi said, referring to PTI’s Gandapur.
Punjab deploys army, grants permission to use firearms to ‘maintain law and order’
Meanwhile, as the PTI plans to hold a protest at Lahore’s Minar-i-Pakistan, the Punjab government issued orders for army troops to be deployed, allowing it to take certain measures to “maintain law and order”.
The PTI has called its planned protest — to demand a cut in inflation, independence of judiciary and Imran’s release — a “do or die”, despite all entry and exit points of Lahore being heavily barricaded amid a ban on rallies under Section 144.
The Punjab home department issued orders for the “requisition/ deployment of troops of Pakistan Army in aid of civil power for maintaining law and order situation” in the province.
Its notification issued on Saturday, seen by Dawn.com, set the Rules of Engagement (ROEs) for the army.
It specified that the armed forces, civil armed forces and police would be deployed “around the airbase/ airport, routes, venues, accommodation, etc, falling within the territorial jurisdiction” of Punjab to maintain law and order as well as provide security to foreign delegates during the upcoming SCO summit.
Under the ROEs, the armed forces would be “allowed to take such measures as warranted by the situation, including using of firearms”.
“Exact contours of deployment of armed forces will be determined by the military commander on ground in consultation with police commander,” the notification read.
The ROEs enable the local commander to employ certain measures in the event they are “preempted to get any information of any threat or are attacked or threatened by hostile elements”.
In the absence of local police authorities, the rules allow the armed forces to “detain any person who commits or threatens to commit a crime”.
The rules include “show of force, including the use of Riot Control Agents (RCAs)”; “warning shot may be fired over the heads of hostile elements”; that a “hostile fire should be returned effectively and promptly to stop hostile act”; and “unrestricted use of electronic monitoring as deemed appropriate by local commander”.
“Use of minimum force under the circumstances and proportionate to threat, however, no rule/ legal procedure limits one’s right to take appropriate action to defend himself and the infrastructure/ entities entrusted to him,” one of the rules read.
200 PTI workers booked under MPO, ATA
At least 200 PTI protesters who had gathered near Faizabad were booked by the Rawalpindi police for “attacking and injuring” four cops.
The first information report (FIR), a copy of which is available with Dawn.com, invoked Section 16 of the Maintenance of Public Order (MPO) 1960; Section 7 of the Anti-Terrorism Act (acts of terrorism); and sections 353 (assault or criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of his duty), 186 (obstructing public servant), 427 (mischief causing damage amounting to Rs50), 324 (attempted murder), 341 (wrongful restraint), 148 (rioting armed with deadly weapon), 149 (every member of unlawful assembly guilty of offence committed in prosecution of common object) and 188 (disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant) of the Pakistan Penal Code.
The FIR said around 200-225 protestors started pelting stones and attacked the police with sticks, due to which four policemen got injured.
It alleged that the screen of a police vehicle was damaged in the violence that ensued, adding that nearby shops were also damaged.
More to follow
