Islamabad Gears Up for PTI Protest Over Heavy Security Concerns

With the PTI party setting the date for a massive protest in Islamabad, the capital’s administration is leaving no stone unturned to provide security. Calling for a protest on the 24th of November, security forces have been deployed, there are over 10000 personnel, over 1200 containers, Rubber bullets, and Tear gas among others.According to reports, the city has also seen a long-term effect of section 144, which restricts the movement and gatherings of the public. The extent these preparations have been made has brought controversy on whether such an extent is necessary. 

Extraordinary Precautionary Steps Cause Alarm

In preparation for the protest that PTI intends to stage, police in Islamabad are going all out. More than 1200 containers, large amounts of anti-riot equipment, rubber bullets, and tear gas have been ordered, indicating that the preparations are being made for an even greater escalation. Besides, demands for additional forces have been made from the security forces of the Federal Capital, Sindh, and Punjab police including Frontier Corps and Rangers. The authorities have also pointed to what it calls ‘supply-chain considerations,’ such as feeding and transporting tens of thousands of security personnel. Opponents stated that such coverage is excessive and may provoke escalation of the conflict which does not correspond to the current conditions. 

Section 144 has been made further effective for prohibiting public gatherings and as a result, Islamabad city is converted into what people of Islamabad now call; “Containeristan.” The measures may be intended to demonstrate control on the part of the city administration and to avoid social disorder, they are being viewed as signs of panic. Demonstrations and sit-ins are widely seen in Pakistan and that is why the PTI’s action is not exceptional. However, this kind of preparation has generated controversies on whether the government is preparing itself for a war, not a protest.

PTI’s Rhetoric and Pressures on Supporters

On the other hand, the PTI leadership has upped the ante by painting the protest as a ‘do or die affair’. This rhetoric has added pressure not only to the party lawmakers, who are now expected to deliver some number of supporters or lose the ticket to someone else. This not only shows the party’s internal insecurity but also has the potential to force the supporters to go to the extreme in their expression of support. 

Although the PTI has a constitutional right to protest, this pressure could go wrong. Requiring massive turnout, particularly during heightened political activism may cause party actors to go to greater extremes. The opposition leaders in Pakistan particularly those in PTI must ensure that protest is not violent and that there is no provocation made. It is high time for both the PTI and the Islamabad authorities to reconsider their posturing so that their actions directly support the principles of peace and the rule of law.