The government has decided to dig trenches on key roads connecting Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) with Islamabad to prevent protesters from entering the federal capital ahead of planned political rallies.
Sources said the government has surveyed several routes linking KP with Islamabad amid preparations for demonstrations by political parties, including Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and Jamaat-e-Islami (JI).
According to sources, trenches will be dug along the Grand Trunk (GT) Road and at several key points, including Chungi No. 26, Pirwadhai, I.J. Principal Road, Aswal Mor and Kati Pahari.
The government has also decided to install hurdles and barricades on major routes leading to Islamabad from KP, sources added.
The reported measures come as Jamaat-e-Islami has launched a protest campaign against the Petroleum Development Levy (PDL), including a long march towards Islamabad.
JI chief Hafiz Naeemur Rehman said on Sunday that the party’s long march had begun and vowed that the protest would continue until the petroleum levy was withdrawn.
Hafiz Naeem was leading the JI train march from Karachi Cantt railway station, with hundreds of party workers accompanying him.
The march entered its second phase after the party ended its sit-in at Press Club Chowk and moved towards the railway station.
Speaking to the media, Hafiz Naeem said no obstacle would stop the party’s protest. He warned that the demonstrations could intensify if the government continued to impose what he called an “extortion levy”.
The JI chief said the party would continue its sit-ins and long march until the government withdrew the petroleum levy.
Hafiz Naeem also claimed that the government had collected Rs1,567 billion through the petroleum levy during the previous year.
The JI has been holding protests and sit-ins in different parts of the country over the petroleum levy and has demanded relief for consumers.
Will schools remain closed due to protest?
Schools in parts of Islamabad are set to remain closed from tomorrow amid preparations to deal with protesters, while authorities have decided that other educational institutions will remain open.
Police have approached the district administration in Rawalpindi seeking the closure of 48 educational institutions as part of preparations to deal with the protest.
In Islamabad, 24 educational institutions have been selected for closure from tomorrow. Officials said all other schools and educational institutions in the capital will remain open.
Police personnel have also been provided accommodation at the 24 educational institutions included in the closure list.
Schools in several areas, including G-6, F-6, F-7 and G-7, will remain closed from tomorrow.
Selected educational institutions in Tarnol, Sangjani, Sihala, Nara and Rawal Dam areas will also observe a holiday from tomorrow.
The closures come as authorities make security arrangements ahead of the planned protest.
