Minister of State for Interior Talal Chaudhry conducting a press conference on September 16, 2026. Photo: Screengrab
ISLAMABAD:
Minister of State for Interior Talal Chaudhry warned the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) on Sunday against engaging in violence or illegal activity during its planned long march on September 27, saying those arriving as “terrorists would not be allowed” to return.
The warning came as the authorities concerned take their preparations for the PTIs protest to the final stages, which included trenches, soil filled containers and deployment of thousands of policemen and other law-enforcement personnel to stop the marchers.
“If you are peaceful citizens, come to Islamabad by any route, but if you come as terrorists, we will not let you leave,” Talal said, according to Express News. He added the Islamabad High Court’s orders would be implemented in full and that the government would not tolerate any illegal activity during the PTI protest.
The minister of state also criticised the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa government, saying that it had failed to control terrorism in the province and had been unable to provide basic facilities, including health and education, to its people.
Information Minister Attaullah Tarar also reacted strongly to the PTI protest, describing it as a plan to create “chaos and destruction”. Responding to remarks by PTI’s K-P President Junaid Akbar about the long march, Tarar said the statement showed that the party’s objective was to spread disorder and destruction. “These people do not believe in peaceful protest; rather, they want violence and bloodshed,” Tarar said.
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Dr Tariq Fazal Chaudhry said that recent statements by PTI leaders regarding their planned march towards Islamabad had raised concerns about the possibility of violence, and stressed that the government would take measures to maintain law and order in the federal capital.
Speaking to a private TV channel, Chaudhry referred to a reported statement by a senior PTI leader, who said that they were coming towards the capital to “make it Somnath”. Chaudhry described the remark as a threat and said the government had a responsibility to ensure that normal life was not disrupted. “Islamabad is the city of all Pakistanis, and no one will be allowed to deteriorate its law-and-order situation,” he said.
The minister’s remarks come amid preparations for a PTI protest march scheduled for September 27.
Meanwhile, security preparations in Islamabad and Rawalpindi have entered their final stages ahead of the possible long march by the PTI and other opposition parties, with thousands of personnel being deployed and roads fortified.
More than 22,000 personnel will be deployed in Islamabad under eight DIGs, 10 SSPs, 40 SPs and 58 DSPs, while 30,000 personnel are being deployed in Attock and more than 13,000 police personnel will perform duties in Rawalpindi.
Additional police personnel and Frontier Constabulary units have been sanctioned for Islamabad and districts across the Rawalpindi Division. Personnel from Punjab districts including Sheikhupura, Dera Ghazi Khan, Multan and Faisalabad are also being deployed in Attock.
The provincial law-enforcement authorities will also provide additional personnel in Attock, the key district connecting Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa with Punjab, as the government prepares to deal with the possible movement of protesters towards Islamabad.
In Rawalpindi, a senior police officer told The Express Tribune on condition of anonymity that approximately 6,500 to 7,000 operational personnel were already available, while an equal number of additional personnel had been requisitioned, taking the total deployment to around 13,000.
Police staff from training colleges and schools, personnel attending courses and staff undergoing training are also being assigned duties. Holidays for police officers and personnel in Rawalpindi had already been cancelled several days earlier.
Meanwhile, authorities are taking strict measures at Islamabad’s entry points, including digging trenches, constructing barricades and placing soil-filled sacks inside containers positioned on major roads and around the Red Zone.
Dozens of labourers have been deployed to fill sacks with soil from morning until evening, while tractor-trolleys carrying soil are being brought into the Red Zone. Soil-filled sacks will also be placed on major roads to block vehicular movement.
Sources said barricades made from soil-filled sacks would be constructed at Red Zone entry checkpoints, while roads at entry points would also be dug up to prevent protesters from entering the capital.
A plan has been prepared to dig trenches across access roads and make movement through them impossible, while Rawalpindi and Islamabad police officers have been directed to arrange machinery and labourers for the work.
A large number of containers have already been taken into custody in the twin cities and kept on standby along roadsides and at open spaces to block possible movement during the protest.
Authorities have also completed a survey of the Sports Complex, Pak-China Friendship Centre, schools and colleges to accommodate additional police personnel, with a report covering more than 100 buildings submitted to officials.
