PTI vows to proceed with Sept. 27 Islamabad march as govt tightens security

Pakistan’s political tensions are rising ahead of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s planned nationwide protest and march toward Islamabad on Sept. 27, with the opposition party refusing to back down despite government warnings, court restrictions and a widening crackdown on its supporters.

The protest is aimed at mobilizing public support for the release of jailed former Prime Minister Imran Khan and what the PTI describes as the supremacy of the Constitution. The government, meanwhile, has said it will prevent any attempt to disrupt public order or block access to the capital.

In his latest episode of On My Radar, Kamran Khan said the central question was whether court orders, roadblocks and the deployment of thousands of security personnel would prevent PTI convoys from reaching Islamabad, and what form the confrontation between the government and the opposition could take on Sept. 27.

The Islamabad High Court has ruled that no political party has a legal right to occupy public roads, highways, interchanges, toll plazas or government buildings in a way that obstructs citizens’ movement or access to essential services. The court has also directed provincial governments not to use state machinery or public resources for political protests.

Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi on Monday warned PTI against proceeding with the march and advised the party not to enter what he described as a “dead-end street.” He has previously said the government would stop any march toward Islamabad “in every possible way.”

PTI, however, says it will continue with the protest.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi said the party would “forcefully exercise” its right to protest and that threats or pressure would not weaken its resolve. PTI interim chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan has also said the party will proceed with the Sept. 27 protest.

The government has already begun taking measures against PTI figures and supporters ahead of the protest. Imran Khan’s three sisters, Aleema Khan, Dr. Uzma Khan and Noreen Niazi, have been detained for 30 days under preventive detention orders, according to authorities and PTI. Their detentions have been challenged in the Lahore High Court.

PTI says about 1,500 of its workers have been arrested, including lawmakers and provincial ministers. The party has also alleged that some of its ministers were arrested or abducted by plainclothes personnel and that several lawmakers were detained from Parliament Lodges and outside the National Assembly.

Amnesty International said the detentions of Imran Khan’s family members and PTI activists amounted to arbitrary detention and called for their release.

PTI’s history of marches toward Islamabad

Long marches toward Islamabad have been a recurring feature of PTI’s politics since Imran Khan was removed as prime minister in 2022. The party has repeatedly used protests and marches to pressure the government and demand political concessions.

Kamran Khan noted that PTI had moved toward Islamabad five times during the current government’s four-year period, making the Sept. 27 mobilization part of a broader pattern of confrontation between the party and the state.

This time, authorities are preparing extensively to secure the capital and prevent large groups from entering.

More than 2,000 shipping containers have reportedly been placed at various locations in Islamabad and at the Attock Bridge, a major crossing point for traffic from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa into Punjab.

Additional police personnel are also being deployed to Islamabad. According to police sources cited in the program, about 1,950 police officers and personnel from Sindh are expected to reach the capital Tuesday night, while 19,000 personnel from Punjab are expected to arrive over the next two days.

Islamabad Police has also sought an additional 827 million rupees ($2.9 million) in funding to deal with the PTI march.

Educational institutions in Islamabad are being closed from Tuesday, with arrangements made to accommodate police personnel arriving from outside the capital.

Imran Khan’s release remains central demand

PTI says its Sept. 27 mobilization is intended to pressure the government over Imran Khan’s imprisonment and to demand what the party calls constitutional supremacy.

Khan has been imprisoned since 2023 and is serving sentences in cases involving corruption and state gifts, among other legal proceedings.

The government says its measures are intended to protect public order and citizens’ rights. The Islamabad High Court’s ruling similarly emphasized that the fundamental rights of residents and access to roads, businesses, schools and medical facilities cannot be disrupted by political activity.

With the protest only days away, arrests, security deployments and road restrictions have already heightened political tensions.

The key issue on Sept. 27 will be how the government’s security measures and the court’s restrictions interact with PTI’s stated intention to mobilize supporters toward Islamabad, and whether the two sides can manage the protest while maintaining public order.