Islamabad and Rawalpindi were locked down on Friday, with roads closed, communication lines cut, public travel halted and all entry points closed. Police are expecting clashes with Tehreek-e-Labbaik (TLP) supporters on Multan Road after Friday prayers.
The religious political party announced today (Friday) an anti-Israel demonstration in front of the US embassy in the federal capital.
Hamas and Israel signed a ceasefire deal on Thursday in which Israeli captives will be released in exchange for Palestinian prisoners in a first phase, in line with U.S. Donald Trump’s 20-part initiative to end the war in Gaza. Islamabad presented Trump’s plan as a “historic opportunity” for lasting peace in the Middle East.
Read: Mobile data services suspended as Twin Cities prepare for TLP rally
State Minister for Interior Talal Chaudhry said the TLP did not obtain necessary permissions to hold the rally.
On Thursday, police raided the TLP headquarters to arrest the religious party’s leader, Saad Rizvi, and faced reprisals from party supporters. TLP members pelted stones, sticks and rods at police personnel on Multan Road. The police responded with tear gas.
Gas masks, chemicals and other supplies were also seized from TLP workers, he said, addressing the news conference later in the day, Chaudhry said. The party intended to use them during the rally, he added.
Section 144 is in force in the Twin Cities, with a ban imposed on public gatherings, rallies, demonstrations, demonstrations and assemblies, in addition to a ban on passenger boarding and inflammatory speeches.
The city at a standstill
At least 37 points in the city are blocked by containers, trailers and barriers. Government and private schools along Multan Road were closed and universities in the twin cities remained closed. Ambulances struggled to pass with Rawat, T-Chowk and the highway closed.
As many as 6,000 officers and personnel are deployed in Rawalpindi, under the leadership of Rawalpindi City Police Officer Syed Khalid Hamdani. Officers of SP rank and above are armed, the rest are equipped with tear gas guns, rubber bullets and 12-gauge shotguns, police said.
Police are deployed at Kalma Chowk, Rahimabad, Gulzar-e-Quaid, Sawan Pul and Adiala Road. Thirteen special police units and snipers are stationed along Murree Road from Shalimar Chowk to Faizabad.
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Metro bus services are suspended while key thoroughfares and thoroughfares along Murree Road, Faizabad, around Moti Mahal Chowk, Shamsabad, Dhoke Kala Khan, IJP Road, Pandora Chungi, Khanna Pul and Chak Madad are closed, along with all other connecting roads to Islamabad.
The Red Zone and Extended Red Zone are barricaded and GT Road is blocked at Taxila Chowk, Brahma Interchange, Fateh Jang Toll Plaza, Chak Beli Morh, Gujar Khan, Mandra Toll Plaza and Chakwal Morh.
The complete closure of roads and intersections has paralyzed the city’s traffic system. The closure of Murree Road caused massive traffic jams on side streets, with motorbikes and rickshaws spilling into narrow lanes, making it difficult for residents to escape.
Routine services in courts were disrupted due to low attendance at civil court hearings and the inability of police to remove detainees from Adiala Prison. By 9:30 a.m., the district courts were vacant, with scribes’ reports describing Kachehri as “deserted.”
Jail vans were parked at the intersections of Mareer Hassan, Liaquat Bagh, Chandni Chowk, Committee Chowk and Faizabad, among others.
The Senate session scheduled for today was adjourned indefinitely after the required quorum could not be achieved. “Most of the legislators could not reach the Senate as the roads are blocked due to the activity of a religious group in Islamabad,” said federal minister Azam Nazeer Tarar.
