More than 22,000 security personnel will be deployed in Islamabad, and another 30,000 in Attock district, as authorities prepare for a busy week of planned marches by PTI, Jamaat-e-Islami, and Kissan Ittehad.
How Many People, and Where
| Location | Personnel Deployed |
|---|---|
| Islamabad | 22,000+, led by 8 DIGs |
| Attock district | 30,000 |
| Rawalpindi (requested support) | 9,000 |
Attock is being treated as especially important, since it’s the main district connecting Khyber Pakhtunkhwa with Punjab. Extra police are being brought in from Sheikhupura, DG Khan, Multan, and Faisalabad, along with the Punjab Constabulary and Riot Management Police, to help secure the area.
Roads Are Being Blocked With Containers
Large numbers of shipping containers are being seized across Rawalpindi and Islamabad and placed along highways and open spaces to block roads. In total, 30 entry points into the twin cities will be blocked, including 11 in Rawalpindi alone — an effort to stop marches from actually reaching the cities.
Who’s Marching, and Why
- Jamaat-e-Islami (JI): A long march against the levy on petroleum products
- PTI: A long march on September 27, demanding the release of party founder Imran Khan
- Kissan Ittehad: A protest march seeking relief for farmers
Police Leave Cancelled
Rawalpindi’s Capital City Police Officer, Hassan Mushtaq Sukhera, has banned all police leave — casual and earned — until October 1, except in cases of genuine emergency. This gives a sense of just how long authorities expect this heightened security period to last.
Where All These Extra Police Will Stay
With so many officers coming in from outside Islamabad, the district administration has arranged accommodation across the city:
| Rank | Number | Accommodation |
|---|---|---|
| DIGs | 8 | Islamabad Hotel, Melody G-6 |
| SSPs | 10 | A hotel in Blue Area |
| SPs | 40 | Various hotels and guest houses |
| DSPs and Inspectors | 58 + 246 | Lower-cost guest houses |
In total, 362 police officers and officials will be given 132 rooms spread across 13 hotels and guest houses in the capital. Additional police and Frontier Corps (FC) personnel from other provinces are also being housed in government buildings, schools, colleges, the Sports Complex, marriage halls, and police stations.
Final Thoughts
With over 50,000 security personnel combined across Islamabad and Attock, dozens of blocked entry points, and police leave cancelled until October 1, this marks one of the largest security operations Pakistan’s capital region has seen in recent memory — a clear sign of how seriously authorities are treating next week’s combination of marches from three different groups.
