‘PTI protest cost Islamabad Police over Rs330 million’

ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad Police claimed to have spent over Rs330 million to manage Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI)’s protest.

According to official sources, the PTI protest, which spanned three days, incurred a total cost of Rs332.8 million.

According to the sources, a major portion of the expenses went towards logistical arrangements and crowd control measures.

They said that more than 800 containers were placed at 24 to 30 locations across the city to block access, costing the police Rs72.8 million. 

In addition, the police arranged for 35,000 tear gas shells, with Rs150 million worth of shells used during the demonstrations.

Another Rs110 million was spent on rubber bullets and 2,500 firearms to handle the situation. 

Interestingly, the sources revealed that a large number of the containers used during the protests were seized haphazardly rather than rented.

They said that while the cost of these containers was included in the total expenditure, no rental payments were made to the owners of such containers.

These containers incurred the cost Rs72.8 million in seven days leading up to the protest.

This significant outlay underscores the financial burden of managing large-scale protests in the federal capital.

PTI supporters, who had arrived in Islamabad on October 2 in caravans and convoys from various parts of the country to hold a sit-in at D-Chowk, left the capital after a midnight crackdown by Rangers and Islamabad police.

Police and law enforcement agencies cordoned off D-Chowk and adjacent areas, including Jinnah Super and Super Market before the operation and pushed backed towards the G-6 and G-7 sectors.