ISLAMABAD – The atmosphere around Islamabad and Rawalpindi remains tensed and with security tightened across key routes and thousands of personnel being deployed, several universities have already moved classes online, giving students an early sign of the disruption expected ahead of the planned protest march.
HITEC University Taxila and COMSATS University Islamabad’s Wah and Attock campuses announced that their academic activities will move online from September 24 and continue virtually until further notice.
COMSATS University Islamabad has separately notified students that classes at its Islamabad Campus will also be conducted online from September 24, with teaching to follow the already approved semester timetable. The university has directed the relevant departments to make arrangements for uninterrupted academic activities.
The sudden shift comes as authorities dramatically step up security across Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Taxila and Attock ahead of the planned protest march towards the federal capital on September 27.
Attock becomes major focus of the security operation because of its strategic road links between Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Punjab and the Islamabad-Rawalpindi region.
Containers and other barriers have been positioned at important crossings, while security has been reinforced along the GT Road, motorway, Chach Interchange, Attock Bridge, Haroon Bridge and Ghazi Barotha Bridge.
According to reports, around 30,000 security personnel are being deployed in Attock, while educational institutions in parts of Hazro have also been temporarily closed.
The security measures have also extended to major highways. Islamabad-Peshawar Motorway (M-1), M-14 and a section of the GT Road at Attock Khurd have been ordered closed indefinitely, according to the National Highways and Motorway Police.
Punjab government has also sought Rangers deployment in Rawalpindi, Attock, Jhelum and Mianwali as part of preparations for the expected protest activity. The request covers the period from September 22 to October 5, with three Rangers companies sought for Rawalpindi, five wings for Attock and one company each for Jhelum and Mianwali, according to a Punjab Home Department letter reported by Dawn.
Section 144 has separately been imposed across Punjab, restricting public gatherings, processions and assemblies during the specified period. The preparations have also reached Islamabad’s education infrastructure.
Authorities have taken control of 24 public educational institutions in the capital to accommodate security personnel deployed for the security arrangements.
The developments come against the backdrop of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s announced September 27 march towards Islamabad, with the party seeking the release of its founder, Imran Khan.
Meanwhile, Punjab authorities have also requested possible restrictions on mobile and internet services in selected areas of Rawalpindi and Attock on September 27, citing the expected law-and-order situation.
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