Islamabad police ramp up security as opposition party supporters rally to demand PM step down

ISLAMABAD: Police in Islamabad on Tuesday beefed up security by deploying additional uniformed personnel ahead of the opposition Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) long march which is expected to reach the federal capital later today.
The PPP started marching toward Islamabad from Karachi last week to mount political pressure on Prime Minister Imran Khan to resign while demanding fresh elections in the country.
As many as 10,000 personnel belonging to the Punjab police, Rangers and Frontier Constabulary have been deployed in the capital along with the Islamabad Police to ensure security of the participants of the march.
“The main area designated for the public gathering has been cordoned off and security has been beefed up in the capital,” Awais Ahmed, deputy inspector general police, said while talking to the media.
He said a separate parking area was also designated for the participants of the rally while police were carrying out sweep and search operations in the capital to avoid any untoward incident.
“Fool-proof security arrangements have been put in place in Islamabad for the rally,” inspector Naeem Iqbal, a spokesperson for the Islamabad Police, told Arab News.
He said a drone unit for surveillance was also deployed in the city along with snipers and special security staff near important government buildings.
Iqbal said the participants of the rally were scheduled to disperse peacefully by 8pm, though he added they could extend the program until 11pm.
The traffic police in Islamabad also placed diversions on different roads while designating alternate routes for general public.
According to an official handout, Pakistan’s interior minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed visited a control room to review the security situation in the federal capital.
He expressed satisfaction over the security arrangements made for the march and directed officials to watch out for any miscreants.
“It is the democratic right of people to arrange demonstrations and protest marches,” he said. “However, nobody will be allowed to take law into their hands.”