New Delhi: Pakistan is witnessing a virtual lockdown ahead of the massive march planned by the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party. The march originally scheduled to be held September 27 will now take place October 4.
Intelligence assessments say that the march would well be a defining moment for the Pakistani establishment, especially the military. The PTI has said that this march would not be a symbolic one. Instead, the idea is to seek a permanent and once-and-for-all overhaul to dismantle a corrupt political system in Pakistan.
An Intelligence Bureau official said that the establishment in Pakistan realises that this march would be hard to contain. It has sealed off both Islamabad and Rawalpindi, while enforcing strict lockdowns at key entry corridors, the official said.
An official said that the focus is more on Rawalpindi as it houses the Pakistan Army’s General Headquarters and the Military Intelligence directorate. The PTI is directing all its anger against the military. It has accused Field Marshal Asim Munir of orchestrating the illegal detention of PTI founder and former Prime Minister Imran Khan. The protesters would look to enter Rawalpindi and challenge the military, the official also said.
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Another official said that hotels, businesses and restaurants have been ordered to shut down ahead of the march. Rawalpindi would remain a no-go zone until the protests are over. The shutdown is an indefinite one, and this shows how worried the Pakistan military is about the protests, the official added.
The establishment has also decided to shut down transport services that ferry people to Islamabad and Rawalpindi. The idea is to make it hard for the protesters to reach these places and gather in large numbers, officials say. The Pakistani security forces have also enforced container blockades across Islamabad and the border corridors.
Officials say that the protests are likely to turn bloody. Both sides are unwilling to give in, and there is every possibility of the security forces using brute force to curb the protesters. This explains the deployment of heavy machinery at entry points at Islamabad and Rawalpindi.
Anticipating large-scale violence and the use of force by the security agencies, hospitals across Rawalpindi and Islamabad have been placed on alert. Hospitals have also been told to postpone non-essential medical procedures and focus more on mass injuries and casualties that are anticipated during the protests.
The establishment does not want the protesters to move beyond Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP). Heavy shipping containers, which have been fitted with metal spike rods and tyre-puncturing barriers, have been set up across the Attock Bridge.
This has been done to prevent the protesters from moving beyond KP and, more importantly, from gaining access to Islamabad and Rawalpindi.
Owing to these extreme measures taken by the Pakistani establishment, the PTI was forced to postpone its protests from September 27 to October 4. The PTI is demanding the release of Imran Khan, who has been in jail since 2023.
The PTI is also demanding the restoration of constitutional and political rights. The other demands include proper medical care for the people of KP and a complete overhaul of the system.
The Indian Intelligence agencies are closely watching the developments. The current assessment is that the military would use brute force against the protesters, which could also result in casualties. The protesters, on the other hand, are determined and ready to bite the bullet so that their demands are met.
The week ahead for Pakistan would be a hard one, and the atmosphere is likely to remain tense for a long time due to the confrontation between the protesters and the Pakistani security forces, an official said.
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