Islamabad police have arrested a man for allegedly equating the Tarnol crossing with the Strait of Hormuz, it was reported on Friday.
Washington has imposed a blockade on Iranian maritime trade, while Iran has blocked ships from sailing through the Strait of Hormuz, the waterway at the entrance to the Middle East Gulf. Nearly two months after the United States and Israel began their war against Iran on February 28, there are few signs of a resumption of peace talks amid an uneasy ceasefire.
The closure of the strait disrupted supplies to a fifth of the world’s oil and gas reserves and caused a global energy crisis.
A first information report registered on Tuesday at Tarnol police station by sub-inspector Shahid Asghar under sections 188 (disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant), 341 (punishment for wrongful restraint) and 511 (punishment for attempt to commit offenses punishable with life imprisonment or for shorter sentence) of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC) indicates that the suspect posted content suggesting that blocking Tarnol Phatak, like the Strait of Hormuz, could help resolve current problems.
The FIR said that in the context of the current national situation, such comments constitute a violation of Article 144, imposed on Islamabad to maintain law and order and prevent actions likely to incite unrest.
Read: Islamabad maintains security lockdown amid uncertainty over US-Iran talks
Acting on a tip-off from a special informant, the Tarnol police apprehended the suspect from Tarnol Chowk, the FIR added, claiming that a subsequent examination of his mobile phone corroborated the information received.
The FIR further stated that the suspect violated the orders of authorized authorities and instigated the public to block Tarnol Phatak. The suspect was taken into custody and legal proceedings were initiated in accordance with the law.
He added that strict action was being taken against individuals who spread content on social media that could disrupt peace or encourage illegal activities.
For almost a week, the federal capital has been waiting for peace negotiations between the United States and Iran to take place there and large parts of the city remain cordoned off by the authorities.
The main roads leading to Islamabad are closed and a strict security cordon surrounds the administrative center, called the “red zone”. In the adjacent “Blue Zone,” cafes are out of fruit, markets are deserted and, without service at bus stations, weekend travelers struggle to get home.
The current confinement is the second in two weeks. Islamabad was first sealed off on April 11 for negotiations between the American and Iranian delegations which ended without an agreement. The city briefly reopened, then was locked down again as Pakistan waits to host a runoff that has yet to take place.
