The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) call for protests across Punjab, particularly in Lahore, has led to severe disruptions, with the city’s major roads blocked by containers and heavy deployment of security forces.
Containers have been placed on key roads, including Lower Mall, Greater Iqbal Park, Ravi Road, and Shahdara. Roads around Azadi Chowk, Badami Bagh, Bhati Gate, and Minar-e-Pakistan are also blocked. Containers have also been installed on Empress Road, McLeod Road, and routes from Sheranwala Gate to the Minar-e-Pakistan.
The entrances and exits at Shahdara have also been blocked, bringing operations at the bus stand to a halt. The containers have sealed off all main entry and exit points in Lahore, restricting general traffic.
The entrance points of the city have been closed by placing containers, including Imamiya Colony Flyover, Barkat Town, Shahdara Chowk, while police force has been deployed at different points on GT Road. The situation has caused considerable inconvenience for commuters, who are struggling to navigate the blocked routes.
Besides the containers, barbed wire ha also been placed on the roads.
In preparation for the protests, heavy police force has started reaching the main highways, with over 10,000 police personnel, including the anti-riot force, deployed across Lahore to maintain peace and order.
Police have been deployed inside the Azadi Flyover and Greater Iqbal Park, while students gathering on the top of the flyover were dispersed by the police.
Minar-e-Pakistan sealed
The security measures were ramped up ahead of the planned PTI protest at Minar-e-Pakistan today. Containers have been strategically placed around the historic monument, including both sides of the Azadi Flyover, and all the roads leading to Minar-e-Pakistan and Azadi Chowk have been blocked.
Search operations are also underway in various parts of the city, targeting individuals wanted in connection with the May 9 and September 21 incidents of unrest.
The Lahore police is on a high-alert, and has identified potential protest sites and stationed additional forces, particularly around sensitive areas such as Greater Iqbal Park and Azadi Chowk. The streets adjacent to Ravi Road and Azadi Flyover have been barricaded with barbed wire, and plainclothes officers are deployed around Azadi Flyover and Greater Iqbal Park to monitor the situation.
Crackdown on PTI
Lahore police have also begun a crackdown on PTI workers, arresting more than 600 individuals over the past two days for violating Section 144, which bans public gatherings and rallies in the city. The detained protesters are reportedly being held at police stations across different divisions in Lahore.
PTI leaders Mian Aslam, Hammad Azhar, Hafiz Farhat, and Sheikh Imtiaz are nowhere to be found.
Bus service shut
Bus services, including Lorry Adda’s inter-city routes, have been halted due to road closures. The city’s Metro bus service is also restricted to the route between Gajjumata and MAO College. However, the Orange Line train service remains operational.
"The entrance and exit points of the city are closed, so the buses will not run," transport owners declared.
Warning to protesters
Meanwhile. DIG (Operations) Faisal Kamran has issued a stern warning to protesters, emphasising that those who participated in the PTI's protest would face strict legal action. He added that a coordinated plan to stop hooliganism under the guise of protests has been implemented across the city.
He further said that the anti-riot force has taken its positions in the city and additional force has been deployed after identifying all potential protest sites. "Prison vans have also been delivered along with a water cannon," the DIG stated, stressing that the violators of Section 144 anywhere will face jail and prosecution.
"Those who damage government and private property will find themselves behind bars," the DIG announced, adding that strict legal measures will be taken for the safety of the city and its citizens.
