Rawalpindi administration says educational institutions to remain open tomorrow

ISLAMABAD: The Rawalpindi district administration has said that schools and colleges will remain open on Tuesday and intra-city and inter-district transport will continue as normal as security preparations intensified in the twin cities ahead of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) planned September 27 march on Islamabad and Jamaat-e-Islami’s (JI) protest movement.

The Rawalpindi deputy commissioner said that all routes within Rawalpindi and those connecting the city with Islamabad would remain open.

The clarification comes after Islamabad authorities decided to close 24 public educational institutions in the federal capital from Tuesday to accommodate police personnel being brought in from different provinces for security duties.

The institutions being temporarily closed in Islamabad are located in several sectors, including G-6, F-6, F-7, G-7, G-8, G-9, G-10, G-13, I-9 and I-10, as well as outlying areas such as Bari Imam, Malpur, Tarnol, Sihala and the Rawal Dam area.

Other educational institutions in the federal capital will remain open, while principals and non-teaching staff at the affected institutions will continue to report for duty.

The arrangements are part of a wider security plan for the capital as political parties prepare for protests and marches.

The PTI has announced a nationwide protest and march on Islamabad on September 27, demanding the release of its founder and former prime minister Imran Khan.

The party’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa leadership reaffirmed on Monday that it would proceed with the march despite government measures and warnings.

The JI, meanwhile, has already launched a protest march on Islamabad against the petroleum levy.

JI chief Hafiz Naeemur Rehman began the movement on Sunday from Karachi, with party caravans and a train march heading towards the federal capital. The party has demanded the withdrawal of the petroleum levy and has said its protest movement will continue until its demand is addressed.

The latest developments have prompted authorities in Islamabad and Rawalpindi to step up security arrangements, including the deployment of additional police personnel and preparations at key entry points.

According to the earlier security plan, more than 22,000 security personnel are expected to be deployed in Islamabad under the supervision of eight deputy inspectors general, while additional contingents have also been requisitioned for Rawalpindi and Attock.

Attock is considered a key route for protesters travelling from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa towards Punjab and Islamabad. Police sources cited by Dawn had said around 30,000 personnel were being summoned there for security duties.

Rawalpindi police have also sought additional personnel, while police leave in the district has been suspended until October 1 except in cases of extreme emergency.

Authorities have also made accommodation arrangements for police officers and personnel arriving from outside Islamabad. Some government buildings, schools, colleges, sports complexes, marriage halls and police stations are being used to accommodate security personnel.

Containers have been positioned at several strategic points around the twin cities as part of the security arrangements, although the Rawalpindi deputy commissioner said all routes within the city and between Rawalpindi and Islamabad remained open.

Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi on Monday warned the PTI against proceeding with its September 27 march, saying the government had urged the party to reconsider its plans.

The government has maintained that political parties have the right to protest but that public order and compliance with court directions must be ensured.

With the JI movement already under way and the PTI preparing for its September 27 mobilisation, security arrangements in and around Islamabad are expected to remain heightened in the coming days.