The authorities in Islamabad placed more shipping containers at the Faizabad intersection Thursday morning, a day after the ruling coalition decided to stop the planned PTI long march outside the federal capital.
The federal government had been preparing to deal with the long march for the past several weeks, moving in shipping containers to the city to block roads whenever required.
Islamabad Police have arranged 1,100 containers to seal the federal capital in view of the PTI’s long march plan, according to a report on Thursday.
The government had decided to shut down schools and colleges and postpone exams during the march. As many as 2,500 personnel of the police and of other law-enforcement agencies (LEAs) would be deployed in the city for peace.
The government has decided not to allow the possible long march of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) to enter Islamabad under any circumstances. Pakistan Army may be deputed in the capital under Article 245 of the Constitution of Pakistan. It has been decided not to allow the Long March to enter Islamabad under any circumstances.
After PTI Chief Imran Khan visited Peshawar and Lahore on Tuesday and Wednesday, respectively, and instructed each of the party’s lawmakers to bring between 4,000 and 6,000 people to Islamabad, the ruling coalition held a meeting in Islamabad Wednesday night.
The meeting under Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif decided that no one would be allowed to storm the federal capital. The PDM leaders, including Maulana Fazlur Rehman, authorized Federal Minister Rana Sanaullah to crush any attempts aimed at destabilizing the country.
In the morning, more shipping containers moved in at Faizabad, which now “looked like a dry port,” according to a Twitter user who shared a video clip of the intersection.
The authorities have not yet placed the containers on the roads, but these metal boxes have been staked at the busy intersection, which has been a sight of protests in the past.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif is set to hold a press conference at 3pm today, Aaj TV reported.
He will apprise the nation about the ongoing situation of the country, it said.
Shahbaz Sharif is expected to bring up PTI’s long march and the country’s economy at the presser.
Awami Muslim League leader and staunch supporter of Imran Khan Sheikh Rasheed Ahmed claimed on Thursday that residents of Islambad were stocking up rations anticipating a long blockade of the city.
In a tweet, he warned that if the government stopped PTI supporters from marching into the capital, people from within the city take to the streets.
“Using bullit against ballot will set the entire country on a political fire,” he said and demanded immediate fresh elections.
