Authorities in Islamabad have announced the closure of 24 public educational institutions starting Tuesday to provide accommodation for police personnel deployed from various provinces. This move comes in preparation for upcoming protests and long marches planned by political parties and farmers.
The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), Jamaat-i-Islami (JI), and Kissan Ittehad have each scheduled demonstrations in Islamabad on different dates. Schools and colleges located in sectors such as G-6/1, G-6/2, F-6/4, F-7/2, G-7/3, G-8/1, G-9/2, G-9/3, G-10/4, G-13/2, I-9/4, and I-10/2 will remain closed during this period.
The list of affected institutions includes multiple branches of IMS and IMSB across Islamabad, such as IMS (I-V) in G-6/2, IMS (I-VIII) in G-6/1/4, IMCB colleges in F-7/3 and G-13/2, and IMSB campuses in areas like Noor Pur Shahan, Malpur, Tarnol, and Rawal Dam. Educational facilities in outlying areas including Bari Imam, Malpur, Tarnol, Sihala, Pahag Panwal, and Rawal Dam will also be shut down. Other schools in the federal capital will continue to operate normally.
The Islamabad district administration has taken control of these 24 institutions to house incoming security forces. Under this temporary arrangement, principals and non-teaching staff will continue to report for duty, whereas teachers and students will stay away from their campuses.
Meanwhile, security measures in Islamabad and Rawalpindi have been intensified ahead of the political marches. More than 22,000 security personnel will be deployed in Islamabad under the supervision of eight deputy inspectors general. Additionally, around 30,000 officers have been summoned to Attock, a strategic transit point connecting Khyber Pakhtunkhwa with Punjab. Rawalpindi police have requested an extra 9,000 personnel to assist with security operations.
The PTI has announced a nationwide protest and march on September 27 in Islamabad, demanding the release of its founder and former prime minister, Imran Khan. Jamaat-i-Islami is organizing a march against the petroleum levy, while Kissan Ittehad seeks relief for farmers. Authorities have also started placing shipping containers at key locations to restrict access to the twin cities, with approximately 30 entry points planned to be blocked, including 11 in Rawalpindi.
Additional police contingents from Punjab districts such as Sheikhupura, Dera Ghazi Khan, Multan, and Faisalabad have been summoned for deployment in Attock. Police leaves in Rawalpindi have been suspended until October 1, except in extreme emergencies, as ordered by City Police Officer Hassan Mushtaq Sukhera.
Accommodation arrangements have been made for hundreds of senior police officers and officials called in for law-and-order duties. A total of 362 officers and officials will be housed in 132 rooms across 13 hotels and guest houses in Islamabad. Eight deputy inspectors general will stay at the Islamabad Hotel in Melody, G-6, while 10 senior superintendents of police will be accommodated in a hotel in the Blue Area. Forty superintendents, 58 deputy superintendents, and 246 inspectors will be lodged in other hotels and guest houses. Other police and Frontier Constabulary personnel arriving from outside the capital will be accommodated in government buildings, schools, colleges, sports complexes, marriage halls, and police stations.
Security forces have fortified key entry points around Islamabad and Rawalpindi by positioning containers at locations including Faizabad, Chungi No 26, Rawat, Chakri, Adiala Road, Pirwadhai, Bharakahu, and 17 Meel.
In a significant development, Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi warned the PTI against proceeding with the September 27 march. He stated the government would fully enforce an Islamabad High Court order regulating protests and movement on public roads. Naqvi urged the PTI to cancel the planned protest, emphasizing that the government would not allow any disruptions or prolonged shutdowns of the city.
The Islamabad High Court ruled on September 14 that political parties and their leadership have no legal right to occupy public roads, highways, interchanges, toll plazas, or government buildings in Islamabad.
Preparations have also extended to emergency services, with hospitals canceling staff leaves and mobilizing additional security personnel and equipment throughout the Rawalpindi-Islamabad region.
These comprehensive security measures reflect a broad mobilization in the capital and surrounding districts ahead of a week of demonstrations and marches, as authorities prepare to restrict access to Islamabad and deploy thousands of security personnel.
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