Due to continued protests by PTI members and supporters against the failed murder attempt on former prime minister Imran Khan, the key highway between Rawalpindi and Islamabad was closed on Monday. In the twin cities, PTI supporters staged rallies at five different locations, severely affecting traffic on GT Road, Taxila, Rawat, Airport Road, and Murree Road. On the important Shamsabad Murree Road in Rawalpindi, they set fire to tyres and sang anti-government chants.
Additionally, PTI workers stopped GT Road Rata Shah Chowk Margalla from both sides, which caused difficulties for locals living in the neighbourhood, particularly businesses. In addition to this, PTI activists organised a protest in the Pirwadhai neighbourhood, blocking the route that connects Pirwadhai to IJP Road by torching tyres. Workers and PTI leader Fayyazul Hasan Chauhan reportedly argued during the protests. A PTI employee claimed that after Chauhan hit one of his party’s employees, a fight broke out between the demonstrators and Chauhan. Chauhan refuted the claim, stating he had simply hit the worker because he treated him like his own kid.
Prior to that, the police in the federal capital issued a warning that anyone protesting in Islamabad without the local government’s consent would face punishment. The declaration comes a day after Imran Khan, the chairman of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), declared that the party would restart its lengthy march on Islamabad on Tuesday (tomorrow), starting precisely from the location where he almost escaped death three days prior. He changed his mind earlier today and announced that the march would now start on Wednesday. The capital police also stated in a series of tweets that they are acting to arrest political workers who have been identified and cases filed against them.
