Many experts raised their eyebrows when the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf march led by Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur and Imran Khan’s Bushra Bibi reached Islamabad despite roadblocks and ban on internet services. They think such development could not be possible without the support of the establishment.

Eyewitnesses and reporters on the ground say more protesters are reaching the federal capital, with security personnel deployed in the city.

The PTI has not budged from its demand for the elease of the party’s prisoners and Khan. The government had maintained that such matters were pending in courts and it was not up to it to make a decision.

Amidst this, Islamabad is locked down and educational institutions have been closed for the third consecutive day.

“If you ask me, it is possible that some level of support exists. Without it, reaching this point may not have been possible,” Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl Senator Kamran Murtaza said while appearing on the Aaj News programme Spotlight with Munizae Jahangir on Tuesday.

He was asked about any support to Bibi from the establishment for the protest. Murtaza suggested that Bibi is likely to have the support of the establishment.

Protesters who reached Islamabad’s D-Chowk were pushed back by Rangers. They are confined to Polyclinic Chowk.

In a meeting presided over by Islamabad’s Inspector General of Police Ali Nasir Rizvi, it was decided that the federal capital should be cleared of protesters. In preparation for this, the administration has started closing markets in adjacent sectors. Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi previously stated that the police inspector general has been given a “free hand” to deal with the protesters as he sees fit.

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Senior journalist Azaz Syed also joined the show via a telephone link.

He was of the view that situations in the federal capital were approaching a “curfew”. Syed noted that following power outages, there was a likelihood of an operation being conducted.

The journalist indicated that the “signs” suggest a limited operation may have already begun, which could result in casualties. “It appears the situation is heading towards a curfew, a point reiterated by the Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi in a press conference yesterday [Monday].”