Islamabad Sealed Off With Shipping Containers Ahead of PTI Protest March

Shipping containers were hauled across Islamabad's main roads on Monday as authorities moved to head off a planned protest march by backers of imprisoned former prime minister Imran Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party.

The containers sealed off key intersections, including D-Chowk, the central square that has repeatedly served as a rallying point for the party's demonstrations. Large numbers of security personnel were deployed across the capital, and vehicles were seen filing through police check posts at several points.

The measures brought parts of the city to a near halt, leaving residents and traders to navigate a capital carved up by metal barriers.

Shabana Khan, an Islamabad resident, said the restrictions sat uneasily with democratic norms. She argued that those who wish to protest should be allowed to do so and would disperse afterwards, while ordinary people — particularly residents of the city's sectors — were bearing the cost of the disruption. She acknowledged the roads had not been shut completely but said commuting remained difficult.

Another resident, Faisal Hussain, said protesting is a fundamental right and not inherently wrong, but added that demonstrations should remain peaceful and must not descend into arson or vandalism. He said the government should recognise that protest is a constitutional right rather than an illegal act, and that turning the entire city into a container blockade was inappropriate.

For businesses around D-Chowk, the impact has been immediate. Shopkeeper Tariq Abassi said the containers had brought trade to a standstill, making it extremely hard to cover shop rent as customers stayed away. He urged the government to consider how blocking the square with containers on a daily basis was damaging livelihoods.

The party has staged repeated protests in the capital in recent months demanding Khan's release, and each time authorities have responded by sealing off Islamabad with shipping containers to keep demonstrators away from key sites.