Islamabad: Pakistani authorities placed dozens of shipping containers along the main entry points to Islamabad and deployed Army personnel to control the sea of protesters expected to converge here on Thursday as part of the “Azadi March” demanding Prime Minister Imran Khan’s resignation, accusing him of “rigging” the 2018 general elections.
Right-wing Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam Fazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman launched the “Azadi March” along with leaders of other opposition parties on October 27 from the southern Sindh province to arrive in Islamabad on October 31 against the incumbent Pakistan government.
Apart from the shipping containers, barbed wires would also be used as hurdles if the protesters try to move towards the Red Zone that includes key official buildings and diplomatic enclave, according to police. Additional police and paramilitary personnel have also been deployed in Islamabad, they said.
The government deployed army personnel in sensitive places in the capital for maintenance of law and order and keeping in view any possible untoward situation due to the opposition’s showdown, the Dawn newspaper reported.
The city administration has set aside a big ground near Peshawar Mor area in the city for the protestors to encamp and hold the rally.
The ministry of interior, in a meeting on Wednesday, had decided to provide three-layered security to the protestors and also keep them on the designated routes and venue.
An official from the ministry said that police will be on the front line and it will be backed by paramilitary personnel. (PTI)
