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1. upcomingToday

   Analysts say crackdown shows government fears for its own survival — A Lahore-based political analyst and Dawn's editorial board argued the scale of the security operation, far beyond what a normal protest would warrant, exposes government anxiety; a junior interior minister denied the capital was being shut down.

2. upcomingToday

   Government blankets Islamabad with containers and security forces — Workers welded together and filled with sand more than 2,000 shipping containers across the city and at Attock Bridge, schools were shut to house incoming police, and up to 30,000 security personnel were deployed while public gatherings were banned; at least six PTI legislators were also detained.

3. 2 Today

   Islamabad police begin sealing highways into the capital

   Police announced closure of the Islamabad-Peshawar Motorway, the Dera Ismail Khan Motorway and the Grand Trunk Road starting that evening, ahead of PTI's planned September 27 march; Dawn reported the closures were indefinite.

   “the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, on the other hand, says peaceful protest is their constitutional right; they want the release of their leader Imran Khan from jail, and they say they’re doing this in order to uphold the constitution.”

   1. 1 outlet Pakistan seals roads to Islamabad before protests for Imran Khan’s release

      first by Al Jazeera, 1d ago

   • G

     🟠 UPDATE Pakistan launches air strikes in Afghanistan The government has blocked highways to the capital and set up container barriers in preparation for a PTI protest demanding the release of Imran Khan. 📰 https://www. aljazeera.com/news-analysis/20…

     GeoWire@mastodon.socialMastodon2h ago1▲view on Mastodon ↗
4. 1 day quiet
5. 1 Sep 22

   Jamaat-e-Islami postpones its march at Sharif's request

   After reaching Multan, JI leader Hafiz Naeem ur Rehman said the party would postpone its march to Islamabad pending a meeting with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, who had telephoned him.

   “we have clearly told them that they can never achieve anything through such drama.”

   • @

     Pakistan seals roads into Islamabad, deploying 1,500 containers ahead of fuel-price protests, farmers’ marches and PTI rallies demanding Imran Khan’s release. Al Jazeera's Kamal Hyder reports.

     @AJEnglishX1d ago4.0k▲view on X ↗
6. backgroundSep 21

   Interior Minister Naqvi warns PTI against the march — Mohsin Naqvi cautioned PTI that its planned protest would achieve nothing and urged the party to call it off before it escalated.

7. backgroundSep 20

   Jamaat-e-Islami sets out from Karachi over fuel prices — A separate opposition party, Jamaat-e-Islami, began its own march from Karachi to Islamabad to protest a fuel levy of more than 100 rupees per litre, with leader Hafiz Naeem ur Rehman warning it could grow into a campaign to topple the government.

8. backgroundSep 20

   Police detain Imran Khan's sisters and other relatives — Police arrested Khan's sisters Aleema Khan, Uzma Khan and Noreen Niazi at a home in Lahore under a public order law, along with several other relatives, days before PTI's planned march.