ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s National Highways and Motorway Police (NHMP) has said that motorways across the country have been sealed from various areas to protect people’s lives ahead of a planned protest by former prime minister Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party to Islamabad on Sunday.
Pakistani authorities sealed off major arteries and roads with shipping containers leading to Islamabad from the surrounding Rawalpindi city and other areas on Friday ahead of the PTI’s “long march” scheduled for Sunday, Nov. 24.
In a notification released on Friday, the NHMP cited intelligence reports that protesters were planning to disrupt law and order in the capital, adding that they would be armed with sticks and slingshots.
“To prevent any untoward situation and to protect the lives of the people, motorways have been closed from various locations,” the NHMP said.
“The lives and property of the people will be guaranteed at all costs. Those who take the law into their hands will be dealt with strictly.”
Hours earlier, the NHMP had shared a notification on its social media platform X in which it had said that certain sections of the motorway were closed due to maintenance work. These sections were: M-1 Islamabad to Peshawar, M-2 Islamabad to Lahore, M-3 Lahore to Abdul Hakeem, M-4 Pindi Bhattian to Multan, M-14 Hakla to Yarik and M-11 Lahore to Sialkot.
As per local media reports, the Metro Bus service between the twin cities of Islamabad and Rawalpindi will be suspended on Nov. 24 while a ban on public gatherings has been imposed in Punjab from Nov. 23-25 ahead of the PTI’s march.
The PTI’s protest is primarily aimed at pressurizing the government to end Khan’s imprisonment which has lasted for over a year on what his party contends are politically motivated charges. The party also aims to raise its voice against alleged rigging in the Feb. 8 general elections while calling for measures to ensure judicial independence, which it says has been undermined by the 26th constitutional amendment. The government denies this.
Earlier this week, Pakistan’s interior ministry had authorized the deployment of paramilitary Punjab Rangers and Frontier Corps troops in Islamabad to maintain law and order.
Pakistan’s parliament also passed a law earlier this year to regulate public gatherings in Islamabad, specifying timings for rallies and designating specific areas. The law prescribes three-year jail terms for participants in illegal assemblies and 10-year imprisonment for repeat offenders.
Pakistani authorities block roads and motorways ahead of opposition’s Islamabad protest
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Pakistani authorities block roads and motorways ahead of opposition’s Islamabad protest
- Jailed Imran Khan’s party has called for a “long march” to Islamabad on Nov. 24 to demand his release
- Motorway police say as per intelligence reports, protesters will be armed with sticks and slingshots
Afghan interior minister welcomes Pakistani scholars’ ‘positive’ remarks about Kabul
- Pakistani religious scholars on Dec. 23 called for easing tensions between Islamabad and Kabul, resumption of trade
- Sirajuddin Haqqani says Afghanistan is committed to regional peace, Afghans have “no intentions to threaten anyone”
PESHAWAR: Afghanistan’s Interior Minister Sirajuddin Haqqani recently thanked Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar and religious scholars from the country for expressing positive statements for Kabul despite tensions between the two countries.
A meeting of religious scholars in Pakistan on Dec. 23, attended by Jamiat Ulama-e-Pakistan political party head Maulana Fazl-ur-Rehman, called for easing tensions between the two states. The scholars also called for allowing resumption of trade and movement of people between Pakistan and Afghanistan.
Pakistani news media outlets reported on Saturday that Dar, who is also Pakistan’s foreign minister, praised Haqqani’s earlier statement in which the Afghan minister stressed resolving tensions between Islamabad and Kabul through dialogue.
In a video statement on Sunday, Haqqani said Afghanistan is committed to peace and stability in the country and the region, adding that Afghans have “no intentions to threaten anyone.” He appreciated Rehman and religious scholar Mufti Taqi Usmani for speaking in a “positive” manner about Afghanistan in the Dec. 23 meeting.
“We are thankful and grateful for their approach and views,” Haqqani said.
“Similarly, we really appreciate the positive remarks by Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, who spoke in a positive way about Afghanistan.”
The Afghan minister’s statement comes in the backdrop of increased tensions between Afghanistan and Pakistan amid a surge in militant attacks in the latter’s territory.
Pakistan blames Afghanistan’s government for facilitating attacks by the Pakistani Taliban or TTP group. Islamabad accuses Kabul of allowing TTP militants to take shelter in sanctuaries in Afghanistan from where they carry out attacks targeting Pakistan.
Kabul denies the charges and says it cannot be held responsible for security lapses and challenges in Pakistan.
The two countries engaged in fierce border clashes in October that led to the killings of dozens of soldiers and civilians on both sides. Pakistan and Afghanistan subsequently agreed to a temporary ceasefire and have held three rounds of peace talks that remained inconclusive.
Tensions persist as Pakistan has vowed to go after militants even in Afghanistan that threaten the lives of its citizens. Afghan officials have warned Pakistan of retaliation if it attacks Afghanistan.
