September 29: Pakistan’s capital has turned into what one resident called “a city of containers” as authorities try to stop a march by supporters of jailed former prime minister Imran Khan. His party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), has postponed its planned march on Islamabad to October 4 after the government sealed key routes, but the lockdown is already disrupting daily life and business around the capital.
Latest update (October 4): Talks between the government and the opposition ended in deadlock early on Sunday, and PTI is going ahead with the march from Lakki Marwat. Full story: PTI goes ahead with march on Islamabad after talks end in deadlock
Key highlights
- New date: The PTI march, first planned for September 27, will now begin from Peshawar on October 4, Dawn reported.
- Main demand: The release of Imran Khan, who has been in prison since 2023, and access to medical treatment for him.
- Lockdown: Shipping containers block routes to Islamabad’s Red Zone. Section 144 has been imposed in Islamabad for two months and in Punjab for 13 days, and Rangers have been deployed until October 5.
- Detentions: Imran Khan’s three sisters were among those detained, according to Dawn. The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan condemned what it called arbitrary detentions.
- Economic cost: Goods transport remains suspended in Rawalpindi and Islamabad, and daily-wage workers are losing income, The Express Tribune reported.
Why the march was postponed
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi, a PTI leader, announced the delay at a press conference in Peshawar on September 25, according to Dawn. A senior PTI leader told the paper the postponement was meant to “exhaust the federal government and law enforcement agencies” by keeping them deployed for longer, and that the party had already made its point through the government’s heavy security response.
PTI’s demands include Khan’s release from Adiala jail, access to medical treatment for him, “constitutional supremacy”, an independent judiciary and media freedom. Khan was removed as prime minister in a parliamentary no-confidence vote in April 2022 and has been jailed since 2023 on corruption and other charges, which his party says are politically motivated.
A capital behind containers
The Associated Press described shipping containers lining key roads to the Red Zone, which houses Parliament, government offices and foreign embassies. Major crossing points and highways were blocked, including the Attock Bridge. Information Minister Attaullah Tarar defended the measures, saying, “PTI has a track record of disruption and vandalism.”
Residents are paying the price. “It looks like a city of containers,” one woman told AP. A commuter said fuel prices had “almost doubled” because of tensions between the United States and Iran, and that roadblocks were forcing longer journeys. According to The Express Tribune, the Attock Bridge and motorway reopened temporarily after the postponement, but hotels, marriage halls and transport terminals were shut and the Faizabad business hub was “completely deserted.” Traders’ and transporters’ groups have called for talks between the government and the opposition.
What to watch
The next flashpoint is October 4. Previous PTI marches on Islamabad have ended in clashes with police, and both sides are digging in. For Pakistan, which is already under pressure from high fuel prices and a fragile economy (background), a prolonged standoff would add to the strain. The oil shock linked to the stalled US-Iran talks over the Strait of Hormuz (our coverage) is feeding into that pressure across South Asia.
Sources
- Associated Press (via iNFOnews): In Islamabad, shipping containers on the streets signal a protest is imminent
- Dawn: PTI postpones Islamabad long march to Oct 4
- The Express Tribune: Attock bridge reopens as PTI defers protest
The International Desk covers world and Asian affairs, diplomacy and conflict, with a focus on what they mean for India. Stories are checked against at least two credible sources before publication.
