PTI’s ‘long march’: Rangers to be deployed on Punjab govt’s request

ISLAMABAD: The federal government has reportedly approved the Punjab government’s request to deploy Rangers personnel in various districts of the province to assist the police in maintaining law and order during the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) long march scheduled for September 27.

As part of preparations ahead of the PTI march, law enforcement agencies put the twin cities of Islamabad and Rawalpindi on high alert with the deployment of massive shipping containers for road blockades and the deployment of a large number of security personnel to deal with the protesters.

According to the letter sent by Punjab’s home department to the Federal Ministry of Interior and Narcotics Control, deployment of Rangers had been sought in Rawalpindi, Attock, Jhelum and Mianwali. The federal government has approved Punjab’s government request, sources said.

It says that the Punjab home department requested the deployment of three companies of the Rangersin Rawalpindi, including one for Rawalpindi city and two for Taxila. Five companies have been sought for Attock, while Jhelum and Mianwali have each been allocated one company.

The deployment is proposed under Article 245 of the Constitution of Pakistan, 1973, Sections 4 and 5 of the Anti-Terrorism Act, 1997, and Sections 7(b) and 10 of the Pakistan Rangers Ordinance, 1959.

The letter said the matter was discussed threadbare at the 59th meeting of the Standing Committee of the Cabinet on Law & Order (SCCLO) of the Punjab government, held on Sept 20.

Furthermore, the district administrations of Islamabad and Rawalpindi have continued preparations and deployed over 3,000 containers at various locations inside and along roads leading to both cities.

The district administration and capital police have set up a wall of shipping containers around the Red Zone, and have placed a large number of containers on roads and greenbelts to block access ahead of March.

Police have placed containers along the Expressway, Murree Road, Faizabad, Ninth Avenue, Margalla Road, Khayaban-i-Suhrawardy, Third Avenue, Jinnah Avenue, Srinagar Highway, I J Principal Road, and other major roads. Containers have been placed at all entry and exit points of the city.

A police source said the city police have requested 16,000 police personnel and 4,000 anti-riot kits from the Punjab police and 2,000 officials and 3,000 anti-riot kits from the Sindh Police. Sources said that bus terminals of the twin cities are likely to close in the late evening.

According to the National Highway and Motorway Police, the Islamabad-Peshawar Motorway (M1) and Islamabad-Dera Ismail Khan Motorway (M14), also known as the CPEC road, as well as GT Road (N5), will be closed to traffic from both directions for an indefinite period from the evening of September 23.

Similarly, a traffic advisory issued by the Islamabad Traffic Police (ITP) states that the M-1 Peshawar Motorway will be closed from Haroon Bridge, while the M-14 CPEC route will be closed from Kani Bridge near Tarap Interchange in the jurisdiction of Mianwali Police.

The E-35 Hazara Motorway will be closed from the Hazara Interlink near Burhan Interchange, while the N-5 GT Road will be closed from AttockKhurd. The Rawalpindi-Kohat Road will be closed from Khushal Garh, while the Abbottabad-Hassanabdal Road will be closed from Jhari Kas Checkpost. The road will be closed at 11 pm on September 23 until further notice, it says.

Inspector General of Police (IGP) Islamabad Muhammad Sohail Chaudhry held a meeting with Pakistan Goods Transport Alliance. The meeting discussed matters related to goods transportation, availability of containers, and issues being faced by traders and transporters.

The IGP issued directives to relevant officers that containers carrying medicines, food items, and other perishable goods be handed over to their owners without delay to prevent unnecessary difficulties for citizens and the business community.

He said that owners of containers used for maintaining law and order would also be paid appropriate rent for their vehicles.

Meanwhile, extraordinary security arrangements have been made in Rawalpindi to protect important government installations in various areas.

Police have set up additional police pickets at The Mall, MH Chowk, TM Flashman Chowk, Metro Station, Saddar Chowk, T&T Chowk, RA Bazaar Road, Chungi No 22, Shalimar Chowk and Marka-i-Haq Square.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2026