Twin cities admins on toes as four long marches loom

Schools, colleges, hotels, markets and transport terminals to remain closed

Four separate calls for long marches within seven days, from Sunday, September 20-27, have put the government, administration and police in a difficult situation, with authorities deciding to close all educational institutions, colleges and universities, hotels, motels, rest houses and inns in Rawalpindi from next week.

Lights and mobile internet services will be shut down during the long marches, while all 1,500 cameras installed under the Safe City project in Rawalpindi have been activated to monitor protesters.

Transport and goods transport terminals will also remain completely closed, while Metro Bus and Green Electric Bus services will remain suspended.

Read: CM Afridi meets opposition leaders as PTI readies for Sept 27 protest

Markets and wholesale markets across the city will also be closed. Large spiked containers, fitted with eight-inch spikes, have started being installed at entry points of the twin cities, including Faizabad, Chungi No. 26, Rawat, Chakri, Adiala Road, Pirwadhai, Bharakahu and 17-Mile, with entry routes being sealed. Monitoring will also be carried out through drones.

Emergency has been imposed at all hospitals in the twin cities, and leave of doctors, nurses and paramedical staff has been cancelled.

Fresh contingents of Rangers and Punjab Constabulary have been called in. Thousands of rubber bullets and tear-gas shells have been supplied to Rawalpindi and Islamabad police.

Attock police have been provided heavy Rangers contingents, armoured vehicles, prison vans, heavy weapons and personnel, who will assume duties on Wednesday and Thursday. The central long march coming from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa will be stopped at all costs, officials said.

Edhi centres have also been put on alert. From next week, accused persons lodged in Adiala Jail will not be produced before courts in Rawalpindi and Islamabad, while jail staff have been assigned security duties in the city.

A show of force by law-enforcement agencies will also begin from Monday.

Also Read: JI weighs two plans for Islamabad march against petroleum levy

The Jamaat-e-Islami long march will start from Karachi on Sunday, Sept 20, while caravans from all six districts of Rawalpindi division will also start reaching Liaquat Bagh from Sunday. Jamaat-i-Islami emir Hafiz Naeemur Rehman will leave Karachi for Rawalpindi by train on Sunday, with his train march scheduled to reach Rawalpindi on Tuesday, Sept 22.

Daily protest sit-ins will continue in Rawalpindi until his arrival.

Due to road closures and the large number of spiked containers being installed at different places, all business, commercial and social activities in Rawalpindi will remain paralysed from Monday, Sept 21 to Sept 27.

Anjuman-e-Tajiran Sabzi Mandi Sadr president Ghulam Qadir Mir and All Pakistan Private Schools and Colleges Association president Irfan Muzaffar Kiyani strongly condemned repeated strikes, long marches, road closures, the installation of containers and the closure of schools and colleges.

They called for political dialogue with all political parties, particularly Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, to reduce political uncertainty and save the country’s economy, saying the use of force and long marches were not a solution to any problem.