PTI, govt tensions intensify ahead of September 27 protest

Tensions between the government and the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) have intensified ahead of the party’s planned September 27 protest in Islamabad, with PTI organising convoys from across the country and authorities taking measures to prevent them from reaching the federal capital. Five Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) lawmakers, including Senator Saifullah Niazi, Sanaullah Masti Khel, Jamal Ahsan Khan, Dawar Khan and Mohammad Ghaus, have been arrested from Islamabad’s Red Zone and shifted to an undisclosed location, sources said on Monday. In Lahore, PTI founder Imran Khan’s sister Aleema Khan has been ordered to be detained for 30 days under the Maintenance of Public Order (MPO) law because authorities believe she poses a threat to public safety and could incite party workers. Meanwhile, two Levies personnel were injured in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Malakand district in alleged firing by a guard of PTI lawmaker Shakil Khan. Authorities took notice of the incident after videos of the firing emerged. A first information report (FIR) has been registered, while legal proceedings have been initiated to arrest people involved in the incident, officials said, adding that no leniency would be shown in the matter. The situation further escalated after PTI Khyber Pakhtunkhwa President Junaid Akbar made strong remarks in support of the planned protest, drawing a sharp response from federal ministers. Addressing PTI workers in Mardan, Junaid said the party was determined to hold the protest come what may. He said protesters would not rely on a single route to reach the federal capital, but would approach Islamabad via the motorway, Grand Trunk Road and the Margalla Hills. Junaid also said the party would turn the federal capital into “Somnath” and vowed to ensure the protest succeeded at all costs. Responding to the remarks, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif said Islamabad was neither Somnath nor was Junaid Akbar Mahmud Ghaznavi. “Islamabad is the fort of Islam and a symbol of the federation, ” Asif said, adding that the government would defend the capital. Federal Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Tariq Fazal Chaudhry said Islamabad did not belong to any political party and that plans to turn the capital into a battleground would not be tolerated. Information Minister Atta Tarar said at a press conference that a court ruling was already in place regarding the closure of roads and stressed that no violent group would be allowed to enter Islamabad. Meanwhile, the Islamabad administration has stepped up preparations to prevent PTI convoys from reaching the capital. According to sources, routes from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa have been surveyed, and authorities have decided to dig trenches and erect barriers along the motorway, GT Road, 26 Number Chungi and areas near the Margalla-Taxila route to prevent PTI convoys from entering the capital.

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