Containers Return to Islamabad as Khan Supporters Plan March

Shipping containers have once again appeared along the streets of Islamabad, the familiar steel markers that signal an approaching political confrontation in Pakistan's capital.

Cranes have lifted red, blue and green containers from trucks and set them down along key roads, part of preparations ahead of a march by supporters of imprisoned former Prime Minister Imran Khan demanding his release. The march was originally scheduled for Sept. 27 but was postponed to Oct. 4, though many containers remain in place.

Since last week, police have positioned the barriers on routes leading to the Red Zone, the area housing Parliament, government offices and foreign embassies. Some containers sit beside busy roads ready to be moved, while others are stacked two high or placed across traffic lanes, narrowing broad avenues into controlled passages.

"It looks like a city of containers," said Islamabad resident Sahiba Bibi, who noted that the disruption this time began before demonstrators had even set out from across the country, particularly from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, where Khan's party holds power.

Organizers said the march was delayed because authorities had blocked key approaches to the capital, including Attock Bridge, a major crossing for convoys traveling from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Containers and spiked metal sheets were placed along the route that provincial Chief Minister Sohail Afridi and his supporters were expected to take, they said.

Even where roads stayed open, the preparations narrowed lanes and produced long lines of vehicles. Commuters sought alternate routes, and shopkeepers along potential protest paths weighed whether to shut their businesses for fear of damage if unrest broke out.

Authorities say they pay rent to the owners of container trucks for the use of the containers. But some drivers say police stop them on highways, seize their vehicles and take their keys. Rehmat Gul, a container-truck driver, said police stopped him and took his keys before impounding his truck, which was later placed on a road near Rawalpindi.

For commuters, the roadblocks add to existing financial strain. Abdul Hafeez, a government employee who travels from Rawalpindi to Islamabad for work and drives his children to school, said fuel prices have nearly doubled amid tensions between the United States and Iran. "At a time when we are already struggling to keep our kitchens running, roadblocks force us to travel farther," he said, adding that he has no objection to the protests themselves if the government does not block the roads.

Khan, a former cricket star turned politician and the main rival of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, has been imprisoned since 2023 and is serving multiple sentences following convictions on corruption and other charges. Khan and his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party say the cases are politically motivated. He was ousted in a parliamentary no-confidence vote in April 2022, and Sharif returned to office after lawmakers elected him prime minister following the Feb. 8, 2024, parliamentary election. Khan's party says its mandate was stolen in that vote, an allegation the government denies.

The government says the precautions are necessary. Information Minister Attaullah Tarar told reporters in Peshawar last week that Khan's party has a record of disruption and vandalism during protests and that its supporters would not be allowed to enter the capital. Afridi rejected that characterization, saying the party's sole purpose was to hold a peaceful rally demanding Khan's release.

Authorities used similar measures in November 2024, sealing roads into Islamabad as Khan's supporters attempted to reach the capital despite a ban on rallies, with police firing tear gas to disperse protesters. That experience has taught residents not to wait for a formal road-closure announcement. Once cranes begin lowering containers into place, many start changing their routes, and some begin stocking up on food.