Photo courtesy PID
The ruling coalition has decided to utilize all available resources, including the deployment of Army troops, to prevent the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI)’s long march from entering the federal capital and triggering potential unrest.
According to officials familiar with the development, Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah approved the strategy on Tuesday during a meeting in Islamabad that was attended by several senior officials, including Interior Secretary Yusuf Naseem Khokhar, Frontier Constabulary Commandant Salahuddin Mehsud, Islamabad Chief Commissioner Usman Yunus, and Islamabad Inspector General of Police Akbar Nasir.
Briefing the participants on the planned long march, intelligence agencies reportedly estimated that it would include 15,000-20,000 protesters from across Pakistan. To prevent them from trying to enter the high-security Red Zone, it was decided that Army troops would be deployed to secure the area, including at the Diplomatic Enclave and other important buildings.
The meeting also decided to utilize Sindh police and paramilitary forces, including the Rangers and Frontier Constabulary, to assist the capital police during the planned protest. In total, per the interior minister, around 30,000 personnel would be available to ensure law and order in the federal capital.
According to sources, the meeting also decided to initiate legal action against individuals and organizations funding and aiding the PTI. They said instructions had also been issued to ensure the lives of local residents weren’t hampered by the protest, with a special focus on making sure schools and hospitals remain functional.
PTI Chairman Imran Khan has been ramping up efforts for his long-planned long march on Islamabad, though he has yet to issue a final date for it. On Tuesday, he directed party workers to start preparing lists of people they would bring with them to Islamabad and also took oaths of support at an event during which he said the ‘Haqiqi Azadi’ movement was akin to jihad.