NOWSHERA/ LAHORE/PESHAWAR: Punjab on Thursday sealed off the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa as police threw up containers, barbed wire and roadblocks at key crossings to stop Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) workers from heading to Islamabad for the party's September 27 long march. The shutdown turned Attock Bridge, GT Road and Rashakai Interchange into bottlenecks, triggering massive tailbacks on both sides of the Khairabad crossing and leaving commuters stranded for hours.
With Attock Bridge and Darwazgai barricaded, the vital land link between Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa was effectively brought to a standstill. A large number of women, children, elderly people and patients were reportedly among the passengers stranded in vehicles. Eyewitnesses said pedestrians were allowed to cross the Attock Bridge until around 4pm.
However, after that, the route was also blocked to pedestrians. Barbed wire was also installed at several points. A large contingent of Punjab police was deployed at Attock, while a large number of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa police personnel were stationed at Khairabad.
Highway police were also seen guiding passengers and commuters near the motorway and Attock Bridge to minimise their difficulties. Local transport services in Khairabad and Attock were also reportedly suspended. Meanwhile, public transport service between Nowshera and Rawalpindi, Peshawar and Rawalpindi, and Rawalpindi and Peshawar remained suspended.
In a related development, the Lahore High Court (LHC) on Thursday issued notices to the Punjab government and other respondents on petitions challenging the detention of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan's sisters Noreen Niazi and Dr Uzma Khan under the Maintenance of Public Order (MPO). The Lahore deputy commissioner on police request ordered their detention for 30 days under Section 3 of the MPO on September 21. Noreen and Uzma were subsequently shifted to Kot Lakhpat Jail, where their sister Aleema Khan was detained a day earlier.
Justice Abher Gul Khan heard the petitions, with lawyers for Noreen and Uzma seeking their immediate suspension. The court, however, rejected the request to suspend the detention notifications at this stage and issued notices to the respondents, seeking their replies. In another closely related development, the federal government has authorised Rangers deployment across the federal capital and multiple districts of Punjab to maintain public order ahead of scheduled political demonstrations, according to an official notification.
The administrative decision was finalised following formal requisitions submitted by the Islamabad chief commissioner and Punjab Home Department. Under the directive, paramilitary forces will carry out operational duties assigned by the capital administration and provincial authorities throughout a designated deployment window running from September 20 through October 5. In yet another related development, the police have introduced specialised net launchers to restrain and arrest individuals or groups involved in rioting during protests in the federal capital without causing them physical harm.
According to police sources, the equipment is designed to allow law-enforcement personnel to safely control unruly protesters by firing a net from a specially designed launcher gun, entangling the targeted individuals and making it easier for police to apprehend them. The net launchers are expected to be deployed for the first time during the possible violence arising from the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) protest call for September 27. Meanwhile, KP Chief Minister Muhammad Sohail Afridi has directed the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa police to remain above political confrontation, perform duties professionally and act in accordance with the law instead of obeying unlawful orders from any quarter.
Addressing a meeting on the law and order situation in the province, he said the provincial government would take action if any federal institution attempted to use the police for political victimisation. "The police cannot be allowed to be diverted from the fight against terrorism and used against any political party," he said. According to a handout, the chief minister said the fundamental responsibility of the KP Police were to protect the life and property of citizens, combat terrorism and maintain law and order.
The chief minister believed that peace had prevailed in the province between 2018 and 2022 and alleged that terrorism returned to KP in 2022 after what he described as a "regime-change operation" and a wrong state policy. The chief minister alleged that the federal government's priority had shifted from eliminating terrorism to targeting the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf and forcing its founder, Imran Khan, to yield. "Our interest is not to eliminate any political party.
Our priority is to combat terrorism," he said. "When I, as chief executive, do not give the police unlawful orders, no one else has the right to give them such orders either," he said. "It is not the duty of any police officer to obey an unlawful order.
If an unlawful order comes from me or anyone else, the police must learn to say no." Referring to developments over the past four to five days, the chief minister called the situation "extremely lamentable" and urged the police to resist unlawful directions and remain focused on their professional responsibilities. Sohail Afridi said the political movement being undertaken by the provincial government was peaceful. "We are not launching an armed struggle or an assault.