Tag: islamabad

  • PTI calls off Islamabad protest

    PTI calls off Islamabad protest

    Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has called off its Islamabad sit-in for the time being following Tuesday night clashes between demonstrators and security forces.

    PTI’s official X (formerly Twitter) account issued a press release on Wednesday morning that reads, “In view of the government’s brutality and the government’s plan to turn the capital into a slaughterhouse for unarmed citizens, [we] announce the suspension of the peaceful protest for the time being.” 

    On Tuesday night, security forces launched an operation at D Chowk to disperse the protestors.

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    Reportedly, prior to the operation, markets in all nearby areas were closed, and streetlights were also turned off; the operation was completed within two and a half hours, leading to the arrest of more than 500 protesters from D-Chowk and its nearby areas.

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    In some videos posted on social media, scenes of D-Chowk after the operation are shown, and dozens of broken windows of vehicles can be seen on the federal capital’s Jinnah Avenue. 

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    PTI, in its statement shared on X, appealed to the Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP), Yahya Afridi, to take suo motu notice of the alleged “brutal murder of martyred [party] workers” and order legal action against the prime minister and interior minister as well as Islamabad and Punjab police chiefs for “attempt to murder”.

    Two demonstrators were killed and over 60 injured in clashes between security forces and protestors on Tuesday night.

    The Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) confirmed the civilian death toll.

    On the contrary, the PTI, in a statement, claimed that “dozens” of its workers were shot at directly and killed, saying that the party had the details of eight deceased.


    Meanwhile, former First Lady Bushra Bibi, Chief Minister (CM) Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Ali Amin Gandapur and National Assembly Opposition Leader Omar Ayub Khan will address an “emergency” press conference today.

  • ‘No breakfast, no rest’: Sindh cop deployed at Islamabad

    ‘No breakfast, no rest’: Sindh cop deployed at Islamabad

    A Sindh police personnel has complained about the inadequacy of food that had been served to provincial police during their deployment at the federal capital amid a Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) protest.

    Speaking to a news outlet on Monday night, a Sindh security official said that authorities have not given them time for the proper rest, maintaining that they have been “on duty for two consecutive days.”

    “We are tired of doing duty since two days, we have no [additional] salary, [authorities] are not giving us breakfast,” the cop belonging to district Noshehra, Sindh, said.

    He further said that due to lack of a timely salary, he has borrowed money from his village, and he is in “debt” now.

    He also highlighted that two days ago, 2000 security officials came to the federal capital via train; apart from Karachi cops, other security officials travelled without having a seat, noting that the long expedition was tough as they had to stand throughout their journey.

    “Cops belonging to Karachi had a seat; we had to stand by the [train] door,” he complained.

    Observing the facilities given by the authorities, he stated that “proper water” was not served to the cops, adding, “We are purchasing tea by ourselves.”

    Meanwhile, in a separate development, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf convoy led by Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur and former First Lady Bushra Bibi has reached Islamabad Zero Point.

    It merits mentioning that following the federal capital’s Zero Point area, D Chowk is just a few kilometers away from where PTI is expected to stage a sit-in.

    Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, while speaking to the media at D Chowk on Tuesday, stated that around 2000 people in the PTI convoy were “trained.”

    The Interior Minister pointed out that the “secret leadership” of PTI is controlling everything, leaving the rest of the leadership powerless.

    “Even the PTI leadership does not want bloodshed, but the secret leadership’s agenda is not aligned with Pakistan,” he concluded.

  • Army deployed in Islamabad after PTI workers martyr four Rangers

    Army deployed in Islamabad after PTI workers martyr four Rangers

    Four Rangers personnel and two police officers were killed on Monday night prior to the deployment of the Pakistan Army in the federal capital.

    According to Islamabad police, a fast car drove over the cops on the federal capital’s Srinagar Highway.

    The federal government has deployed the Army in the federal capital by invoking Article 245 as the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) convoy crossed sector G-9. 

    A notification issued by the Interior Ministry states that the army has been authorised to impose a curfew in any locality deemed necessary to maintain law and order.

    Reportedly, security forces have also been empowered to shoot miscreants and rioters on sight.


    Furthermore, a group of armed men reportedly pelted stones and opened fire on security personnel at Chungi No 26 in Rawalpindi, leading to another Rangers official getting injured, who was transferred in a critical situation to CMH hospital.

    Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif condemned the attack on security forces and directed the authorities to bring the culprits to justice.


    Shahbaz Sharif maintained that anarchist group seeks bloodshed, observing that this is not a peaceful protest but extremism.

    Following the funeral of martyred police Constable Mubashar Bilal in Rawalpindi at Police Line in Rawalpindi, Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi revealed that the federal government had offered PTI leadership an alternative to stage their sit-in at Sangjani rather than entering the Islamabad’s red zone.

    “They come [to D-chowk], and we let them go; this cannot happen; now, we have shown leniency where necessary, but once the red line is crossed, the government will take extreme steps,” the Interior Minister clarified.

    Meanwhile, according to local police, PTI demonstrators have reached Zero Point Islamabad from where the red zone premises start and where the army had already deployed.

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    The protestors reportedly pelted stones towards security personnel, and police have been shelling to disperse the demonstrators.

    Chief Minister Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Ali Amin Gandapur and former First Lady Bushra Bibi also accompanied the convoy, which reached Zero Point Islamabad.

  • PTI marches on Islamabad for second day despite heavy resistance

    PTI marches on Islamabad for second day despite heavy resistance

    The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) on Monday continued its march on Islamabad despite facing heavy resistance by law enforcement agencies amid closure of intra-city routes and cellular service by the government to quash the protest rally.

    PTI founder Imran Khan had on November 13 issued a “final call” for nationwide protests on Nov 24, denouncing the “stolen mandate” of his party, unjust arrests of PTI workers and the 26th Constitutional Amendment by the “dictatorial regime”. 

    With party leadership urging workers and supporters to join the march on the federal capital, thousands gathered in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) — where PTI is in power — in the days leading to Nov 24 despite the Islamabad High Court (IHC) declaring the planned protest as unlawful. With the high court refusing PTI the permission to protest in Islamabad due to Belarusian president’s visit among other reasons, the government had expressed its resolve to bar the PTI from entering the federal capital come what may.

    Caravans led by senior leadership of the PTI from all across the country on Sunday started their march on the capital. They, however, failed to reach their “destination” – D-Chowk in Islamabad – after meeting heavy resistance by law enforcement who resorted to the use of tear gas shells and non-lethal rounds.

    On Monday, the convoy led by Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Chief Minister (CM) Ali Amin Gandapur and former first lady Bushra Bibi resumed its march on the federal capital, overcoming obstacles set up by the government from the Punjab-KP border near Attock till Islamabad.

    PTI leadership made it clear that they were in “no hurry” for their “do-or-die” protest as party workers and supporters across the country tried to evade arrest and police action.

    “Our destination is Islamabad, but we can take a day or two to reach there and let the government machinery remain panicked,” revealed senior PTI leader Asad Qaiser.

    Reports said that a majority of protesters marching towards the federal capital belonged to KP, while the leadership had failed to mobilise workers in Punjab and Islamabad due to police crackdown in the days leading to the protest. They also quoted sources within the party as saying that the people of Punjab and Islamabad were waiting for the “main convoy” to reach the capital for support.

    Multiple cases have been registered against PTI leaders, including Imran Khan, Bushra Bibi, Aleema Khan and Ali Amin Gandapur. Omar Ayub and Arif Alvi have also been booked under terror charges over the protests.

    Earlier, massive PTI processions from KP entered Punjab via Attock, Chach Interchange and Ghazi Barotha Canal. Another PTI convoy from Haripur reached Attock Bridge where it was met with heavy resistance from the police, leading to a clash.

    With the march continuing on the second consecutive day and main procession led by CM Gandapur still on its way – having reached Burhan interchange by the time this report was filed – citizens across Punjab are facing extreme difficulties as public life has been disrupted amid closure of motorways, all major roads and the shutdown of cellular service. Rawalpindi-Islamabad metro bus service has also been suspended besides the closure educational institutes in twin cities.

    Meanwhile, Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb has revealed that the country suffers a mammoth loss of Rs190 billion a day due to the closure of roads among other steps taken by the government to bar PTI from entering the federal capital.

  • PTI marches on Islamabad as govt gears up to quash ‘decisive’ protest

    PTI marches on Islamabad as govt gears up to quash ‘decisive’ protest

    Scores of workers and leaders of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) are headed to Islamabad for the party’s much-hyped and “decisive” protest to seek the release of party founder Imran Khan, as the government gears up to quash the powershow. 

    Khan had on November 13 issued a “final call” for nationwide protests on Nov 24 (today), denouncing the “stolen mandate” of his party, unjust arrests of PTI workers and the 26th Constitutional Amendment by the “dictatorial regime”.

    With party leadership urging workers and supporters to join the march on the federal capital, thousands gathered in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) — where PTI is in power — in the days leading to Nov 24 (Sunday) despite the Islamabad High Court (IHC) declaring the planned protest as unlawful.

    The court had also directed authorities to take all necessary measures to maintain law and order, prompting the federal government to seal the capital city and partially suspend mobile and internet services in major parts of the country. Intra-city road networks have also been shut down besides the closure of public transport and student hostels in Islamabad and parts of Punjab.

    However, PTI convoys from KP left for Islamabad early Sunday morning. MPAs and MNAs of their respective constituencies are leading their convoys and would join the rallies at Burhan near Hazara interchange, reports said.

    Heavy contingents of police and Rangers are present on GT Road and the motorway at Attock’s Hassanabdal to stop the convoys from reaching Islamabad.

    In a social media post earlier in the day, Islamabad police shared pictures of its personnel stationed at various points across the capital to “ensure the imposition of Section 144”, which prohibits public gatherings.

    PTI, on the other hand, shared pictures and videos of several convoys en route to the capital.

    Meanwhile, the Nat­io­nal Counter Terrorism Authority (Nacta) has issued an alert for possible terrorist attacks during PTI’s march towards Islamabad.

    According to reports, an alert was issued after “technical and human” intelligence gathered by the top counter-terror authority revealed that terrorists were planning “major activities” in big cities of Pakistan.

    The terrorists, whom the government and the military refer to as Fitna-al-Khawarij, will possibly target the PTI’s protest “for their vested interest”, reports said. Nacta has sugge­sted authorities ensure ex­t­reme vigilance and he­i­ghten security measu­res to prevent the att­ack.

    Besides taking strict security measures, the government has also vowed to suppress PTI’s powershow with full force, deploying tens of thousands of security personnel, sealing major roads and arteries of the federal capital, and launching a crackdown on leaders and workers of the opposition party.

    Sources told The Current that dozens of arrests have been made over the past 48 hours and the government has identified at least another 1,500 PTI workers who could be arrested to keep them from participating in the protest.

    All public sector hospitals in the federal capital have also been placed on high alert to meet any emergency situation.

  • Bushra Bibi urges people to join Nov 24 protest; skips it herself

    Bushra Bibi urges people to join Nov 24 protest; skips it herself

    After urging people to join Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) “decisive” Islamabad protest, Bushra Bibi, the wife of jailed party founder Imran Khan, won’t be attending the same herself.

    According to the former first lady’s spokesperson Mashal Yousafzai, she won’t be attending the “do-or-die” protest due to illness.

    PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan, in conversation with a private media outlet, also confirmed that Bushra would not participate in the PTI demonstration due to ill health.

    It may be noted that the announcement comes amid severe backlash over a video message wherein the former first lady had hinted at Saudi involvement in her husband’s ouster.

    In a rare on-screen appearance, Bushra had on November 21 released a video message to urge people to take to streets for Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) “decisive” Nov 24 protest. She had gone on to talk about her husband’s ouster as the prime minister.

    “The reason behind all powers standing against Khan hasn’t been told before. When Khan went to Madinah barefoot, Bajwa immediately started receiving calls about what kind of person he had brought [with him],” she said.

    According to Bushra’s allegations, Saudi leadership told Gen Bajwa that he had brought with him the “custodian of Shariah” at a time they were trying to “distance themselves from the Shariah system”.

    “After this, a smear campaign was launched against us, and [they] started calling Khan a Jewish agent,” the former first lady claimed.

    As the claims drew strong reactions from members of the government, PTI leaders and supporters alike – with only a few defending or clarifying Bushra’s remarks – her husband and party founder Imran Khan’s official account on X has posted an apparent clarification.

    “Bushra Bibi’s statement was deliberately taken out of context to draw our brotherly country KSA into a needless controversy. She didn’t mention Saudi Arabia at all. My government was toppled through conspiracies, all orchestrated by General Bajwa. I tried to have these investigated through the Chief Justice and General Tariq Khan, but General Bajwa did not allow that to happen. Bushra Bibi has no connection with politics; she only conveyed my message to the nation, as my wife, regarding the November 24 protest,” read the statement on X.

    Khan’s account also claimed that bilateral relations between Pakistan and KSA were at their best during his tenure and he personally shared “excellent” relations with the Kingdom. “I have excellent relations with Saudi Arabia. When I was attacked in Wazirabad, one of the first calls I received was through the embassy from HRH Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.”

    “Saudi Arabia has always stood by us in difficult times. Only two weeks prior to our government being toppled, we held a very successful OIC foreign minister’s conference in Islamabad, which would have been impossible to do had Saudi Arabia not supported and stood with us,” the statement added.

    Former prime minister (PM) Khan has been in jail since August last year without any access to the internet or his social media accounts. Posts on his official handles have time and again made headlines over confusion surrounding actual handlers of said accounts.

    PTI maintains that all statements on Khan’s social media are conveyed via his legal team after seeing him at Adiala Jail.

    Meanwhile, convoys led by top leadership of the PTI are currently en route to Islamabad from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) as the party decides to go forth with its plans to demand Khan’s release by taking to the streets.

    PTI’s march on Islamabad comes reportedly after talks with the government ended inconclusively. The federal government, in light of an Islamabad High Court (IHC) order and the upcoming visit of Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko to Pakistan, has denied PTI the permission to hold a protest rally in the capital.

  • ‘Agar Ali Amin Gandapur Islamabad enter huwy unkay baal aur moonchay kaati ja sakti hain,’ Asif Bashir Chaudhry

    ‘Agar Ali Amin Gandapur Islamabad enter huwy unkay baal aur moonchay kaati ja sakti hain,’ Asif Bashir Chaudhry

    Chief Minister (CM) Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Ali Amin Gandapur has been warned by powerful officials that he will face severe consequences if he dares to enter Islamabad.

    Speaking on the YouTube channel Talk SHOCK, journalist Asif Bashir Chaudhry claimed that Islamabad’s high-ranking official has reportedly sent a warning message of severe consequences if Gandapur enters the federal capital, adding, “There is no guarantee that his hair and moustaches will not be shaved off.”

    Yesterday, the Islamabad expressway was sealed in various locations. The metro bus in Rawalpindi was also suspended till further notice. And Motorcycle pillion riding is also banned.

    Meanwhile, speaking from Islamabad, Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi claimed that 80 Afghan citizens have been arrested from Islamabad so far.

    He also said that 80 police officials were injured following the stone pelting of protestors.

  • Ali Amin Gandapur may not stay in his post for long, Muneeb Farooq predicts

    Ali Amin Gandapur may not stay in his post for long, Muneeb Farooq predicts

    Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur gave a hard-hitting, controversial speech at the September 8 party rally, even threatening Defence Minister Khawaja Asif by remarking, “Not even your father can do a military trial of Khan!”

    “Those whom you [Khawaja Asif] consider your father, they cannot do it [military trial of Khan] as well. He [Khawaja Asif] says that Gen Faiz contacted us after retirement. Did we get Gen Faiz in dowry or inheritance? He was your father…your general… fix your institutions and generals,” exclaimed the KP CM.

    Journalist Muneeb Farooq, speaking on the Geo News programme last night, revealed the military establishment’s perspective on the KP CM’s speech, saying, “Whatever they’ve said in the rally, the military reply is this: whatever is ‘inevitable’, PTI is pushing it at jet speed.”

    Farooq also quoted a high-level official regarding the stark difference between Gandapur’s speech at the rally and his soft-spoken attitude during meetings with the military establishment.

    “Ali Amin Gandapur may not stay in his post for long for many reasons,” predicted Muneeb Farooq.

    Furthermore, Ali Amin Gandapur also vowed that if Imran Khan is not released within two weeks, the party would “set him free” themselves.

  • Army has sought 3,400 kanals near Islamabad for defence purposes

    Army has sought 3,400 kanals near Islamabad for defence purposes

    The Pakistan Army has written a letter to Deputy Commissioner (DC) Haripur to hand over more than thirty-four hundred kanals of land for defence purposes.

    The letter revealed that the Pakistani army authorities are seeking 3,181 land kanals and 17 marlas from Haripur tehsil, Khanpur, for “defence purposes.” However, the defence purpose has not been defined, BBC Urdu reported.

    Lately, the opposition leader of the National Assembly, Omar Ayub Khan, raised concerns about the Army’s intentions to acquire two villages’ land adjacent to the ShahAllah Ditta area near Islamabad.

    “The Army will buy their land at a lower price. Where will the villagers migrate,” he questioned

    He added, “Army should build Defence installation on Navy golf course and Airforce land.”

    He suggested sending this matter to the Defence Committee to prevent the army from seizing the land.

    However, DC Haripur, Shozab Abbasi, stated that all procedures must be carried out in compliance with the land acquisition law.

  • Modi’s plane flies over Pakistan for 46 minutes

    Modi’s plane flies over Pakistan for 46 minutes

    The aircraft of the Prime Minister (PM) of India, Narendra Modi, has used Pakistani airspace while coming back home from Poland, Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) sources have disclosed, as reported by Geo News.

    A CAA source said that the aircraft carrying Modi entered Pakistani airspace at 10:15 AM and left at 11:01 AM, a total of 46 minutes, en route to New Delhi.

    CAA sources said that the Indian PM plane entered Pakistan from around Chitral and went through the Islamabad and Lahore air control areas.

    CAA source further said that the Indian PM plane entered Amritsar after leaving Lahore.

    In 2021, Narendra Modi flew over Pakistan while travelling to Italy for the G20 Summit. The aircraft had used Pakistani airspace after getting formal permission from Islamabad.