Pakistan government denies Islamabad roads closed, says containers a precaution ahead of PTI march
Islamabad has rejected reports that roads across the capital are closed ahead of the PTI's October 4 long march, saying shipping containers placed in the city are a precaution in line with Islamabad High Court directions — and accusing Al Jazeera of selective, misleading reporting.
The federal government on Saturday rejected “misleading” reports that roads across Islamabad have been closed ahead of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) October 4 long march, insisting that shipping containers positioned in the capital are a precautionary security measure, not a blockade.
The rebuttal followed an Al Jazeera report that the government had seized between 1,500 and 2,000 shipping containers to barricade the capital’s roads. In a fact-check statement, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting said the containers were placed as a precaution “in compliance with the Islamabad High Court’s directions to protect citizens’ lives, property and lawful movement”.
“The preventive security measures seek to safeguard public infrastructure and sensitive installations keeping in view the past violent practices of the instance party,” the ministry wrote. It accused Al Jazeera of “selectively” portraying the measures as road blockades, “ignoring the facts that all roads are open and the preventive judicial and security context related to State’s responsibility to maintain public order”.
The PTI postponed its long march from September 27 to October 4 to demand the release of its jailed founder Imran Khan and what it calls the restoration of constitutional supremacy. Despite Friday’s talks between the government and opposition, the party says it will proceed, while Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi has warned the country “will not be allowed to remain shut for 10 to 20 days due to demonstrations”.
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