Islamabad to close 24 educational institutions to accommodate security personnel

ISLAMABAD: Authorities have decided to close 24 public educational institutions in Islamabad starting Tuesday to accommodate police personnel deployed from various provinces for security duties ahead of planned protests and long marches by political parties and farmers.

The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) and Kissan Ittehad have announced protests in Islamabad on different dates.

According to sources, schools and colleges will remain closed in several sectors, including G-6/1, G-6/2, F-6/4, F-7/2, G-7/3, G-8/1, G-9/2, G-9/3, G-10/4, G-13/2, I-9/4, and I-10/2.

The list of closed institutions is as follows:

IMS (I-V), G-6/2, Luqman Hakim Road, Islamabad

IMS (I-V), G-6/1/2, Islamabad

IMSG (I-VIII), G-6/2, Islamabad

IMS (I-V), F-6/4

IMS (I-VIII), G-6/1/4

IMS (I-V), F-7/2/4

IMS (I-V), G-7/3/1, Islamabad

IMCB F-7/3 College

IMSB G-7/3/1, Bangali School

IMSB Noor Pur Shahan (Bari Imam)

IMSB (I-VIII), Malpur

IMSB (I-V), Taman, near Sangjani, Margalla Road

IMCB G-13/2, Street No. 53

IMSB (I-V), Tarnol

IMS (I-V), G-10/4

IMS (I-V), No. 1, G-8/1

IMCB Pahag Panwal

IMCB Sihala

IMSB (I-V), Rawal Dam

IMCB H-9 College

IMS (I-V), No. 4, G-9/2

IMS (I-V), No. 3, G-9/3

IMS (I-V), No. 1, I-9/4

IMS (I-V), I-10/2

Institutions in outlying areas — such as Bari Imam, Malpur, Tarnol, Sihala, Pahag Panwal, and the Rawal Dam area — will also be closed. The remaining educational institutions in the federal capital will stay open.

Sources said that the Islamabad district administration has taken control of the 24 institutions as part of the arrangements to house arriving security forces.

Under these temporary arrangements, principals and non-teaching staff will continue reporting for duty, while teachers and students will remain away from campuses.

The closures come as Islamabad and Rawalpindi have step up security preparations ahead of the political marches and protests.

More than 22,000 security personnel are expected to be deployed in Islamabad under the supervision of eight deputy inspectors general.

Additionally, about 30,000 personnel have been summoned to Attock — a key route linking Khyber Pakhtunkhwa with Punjab — according to police sources cited by Dawn.

Rawalpindi police have separately requested 9,000 additional personnel to assist with security operations.

The PTI has announced a nationwide protest and march on Islamabad for September 27, demanding the release of its founder and former prime minister, Imran Khan. Jamaat-i-Islami has called for a march against the petroleum levy, while Kissan Ittehad is seeking relief for farmers.

Authorities have also begun placing shipping containers at key locations to restrict access to the twin cities. Thirty entry points are expected to be blocked, including 11 in Rawalpindi, according to the security plan reported by Dawn.

Additional police contingents—including units from the Punjab Constabulary and Riot Management Police—have been summoned from districts across Punjab, such as Sheikhupura, Dera Ghazi Khan, Multan, and Faisalabad, for deployment in Attock.

Police leaves in Rawalpindi have been suspended until October 1, except in cases of extreme emergency, under an order issued by City Police Officer Hassan Mushtaq Sukhera.

The Islamabad administration has arranged accommodation for hundreds of senior police officers and officials called in for law-and-order duties.

According to the plan, 362 officers and officials will be housed in 132 rooms across 13 hotels and guest houses in the capital. Eight DIGs will stay at the Islamabad Hotel in Melody, G-6, while 10 SSPs will be accommodated in a hotel in the Blue Area.

Forty SPs, 58 DSPs, and 246 inspectors will be housed in other hotels and guest houses. Other police and Frontier Constabulary personnel arriving from outside the capital are being accommodated in government buildings, schools, colleges, sports complexes, marriage halls, and police stations.

Security forces have reinforced key entry points around Islamabad and Rawalpindi, positioning containers at locations including Faizabad, Chungi No 26, Rawat, Chakri, Adiala Road, Pirwadhai, Bharakahu, and 17 Meel.

Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi on Monday warned the PTI against proceeding with its September 27 march, stating that the government would fully implement an Islamabad High Court order concerning protests and movement on public roads.

“We have clearly told them [PTI] that they can never achieve anything through such drama,” Naqvi said during a press briefing, urging the party to cancel the planned protest.

Naqvi emphasized that the government would not leave “any loopholes” in its response if the PTI went ahead with the march and reiterated that the government would enforce the Islamabad High Court order.

He added that the party would not be allowed to enter Islamabad and shut down the city for an extended period, noting that the government would exercise whatever legal options are available after consultation between the prime minister and the law ministry.

The Islamabad High Court ruled on September 14 that political parties and their leadership do not have the lawful right to occupy public roads, highways, interchanges, toll plazas, or government buildings in Islamabad.

Preparations have also extended to emergency services: hospitals have canceled staff leaves, while additional security personnel and equipment have been mobilized across the Rawalpindi-Islamabad area.

These measures mark a broad security mobilization in the capital and surrounding districts ahead of a week of announced demonstrations and marches, as authorities prepare to restrict access to Islamabad and deploy thousands of security personnel.