Stories
Islamabad Under Lockdown: Highways Sealed, 22,000 Cops Deployed Ahead of PTI Protest
M
Moneycontrol•24-09-2026, 19:18
Islamabad Under Lockdown: Highways Sealed, 22,000 Cops Deployed Ahead of PTI Protest
- •Islamabad is under a severe lockdown with highways sealed and over 22,000 security personnel deployed to prevent a planned September 27 march by Imran Khan's PTI supporters.
- •Double-stacked shipping containers block key routes, disrupting traffic and cutting off links between Islamabad, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and other areas, bringing movement to a standstill.
- •Authorities have mobilized over 22,000 security personnel in Islamabad and 30,000 in Attock, with more than 2,000 containers positioned, and Section 144 imposed for two months.
- •The crackdown extends to Khan's family and PTI workers, with his sisters Aleema Khan, Uzma Khan, and Noreen Niazi detained, alongside approximately 1,500 party activists.
- •Amnesty International has condemned the detentions and restrictions as a "flagrant violation" of rights, urging authorities to facilitate peaceful assembly instead of treating protests as inherently violent.
Key Questions Answered
Authorities sealed highways, deployed over 22,000 security personnel, positioned double-stacked shipping containers along major routes, and closed the Islamabad-Peshawar Motorway, M-14, and parts of the GT Road. Additionally, Section 144 was imposed in Islamabad for two months.
The September 27 mobilisation is a major street campaign organized by PTI to demand the release of former prime minister Imran Khan, who has been imprisoned since August 2023 and is serving long prison sentences for corruption and state gifts.
Authorities placed Imran Khan's sisters—Aleema Khan, Uzma Khan, and Noreen Niazi—under administrative detention, while approximately 1,500 party activists and members of parliament were also detained across Punjab and Islamabad.
