No protester will be allowed to enter Islamabad: Naqvi

ISLAMABAD: Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi on Friday warned that, following the Islamabad High Court (IHC) verdict, no one would be allowed to enter the federal capital, adding that the government would file contempt of court petitions against anyone violating the judgment passed on a petition challenging Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) scheduled march on September 27.

Flanked by Minister of State for Interior Talal Chaudhry, Naqvi told a press conference that the government would take all possible measures against those who tried to enter Islamabad and take the law into their own hands. “Our security agencies are fully ready to deal with the scheduled march,” he said.

“Staging peaceful protest is allowed, but locking down the federal capital or any province would not be allowed at any cost”, he said, adding that a sad incident of terrorism has taken place in Kohat on Friday. It is not appropriate for you to hold funerals of martyrs on one hand and prepare for sit-ins on the other, he said.

The Minister said that the country was fighting terrorism on a daily basis. The 90 percent attention of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government should be focused on countering terrorism rather than efforts to mobilise people, funds or transport for its anticipated protest, he said.

He said that forces have been told to take all possible measures to stop the march or those who disrupt law and order. Following the detailed IHC verdict, there is no possibility of invading the federal capital or any other province,” he said, adding that the way the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa chief minister and his cabinet are making efforts to mobilise people to march, they also need to take effective steps to curb terrorism.

The minister said that those who wanted to stage a protest should stage a peaceful protest in their respective cities. “There is a difference between political gathering and an armed militia,” he said.

He warned that, following the court order, the organizer of the march would be held responsible if there was any loss of life. He urged opposition leaders to avoid confrontation. This fight will neither benefit you nor the country, adding that there were also sensible people within the opposition, hoping that they would understand the situation.

The interior minister said that the government would not allow a repeat of the law and order situation witnessed in the past and would try to minimise inconvenience to the residents of the federal capital. “Personally, he is against the blocking of roads with containers, but when security recommends this option, then we use it”, he said.

Naqvi said that all law enforcement agencies have made complete preparations to deal with any march to enter unlawfully into the capital. He further said that a comprehensive meeting attended by all provinces and federal law enforcement agencies had been held to discuss the scheduled protest call and the law and order situation in the city.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2026