Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi on Friday warned the government will not allow anyone to march on Islamabad and disrupt the life of citizens, maintaining anyone bringing protesters to the federal capital will be held responsible for any loss of life during the demonstration.
Addressing a press conference alongside the Islamabad advocate general and Minister of State Talal Chaudhry, he said the detailed verdict issued by the Islamabad High Court (IHC) left no space for any attempt to “storm” Islamabad. Anyone who violates the order, he continued, would face contempt proceedings.
Naqvi’s press conference followed the issuance of the IHC’s 37-page detailed verdict on a petition against the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI)’s planned Sept. 27 long march on Islamabad. In it, the court ruled that no political party has the lawful right to occupy public roads, highways or buildings or hinder the free movement of citizens. It said any personal who undertakes any activity that violates the fundamental rights of citizens within the federal capital would be deemed to have violated the Constitution and would be liable for the consequences stipulated under the law.
The order further stated that aggression by a federating unit against another or against the federation in any form or manner was “unconstitutional, illegal and unlawful.” It also cited the PTI’s demonstrations of May 2022 and November 2024 in Islamabad as having created serious security and law and order situations. It stressed upon all provincial governments to ensure no government machinery is used for any procession heading toward Islamabad.
“If someone comes out after the court’s decision, we will first initiate contempt of court proceedings. Otherwise, we will not allow anyone to come out,” Naqvi warned during his presser, referring to the order. He said the provinces had been informed of the same.
Referring to social media chatter on the planned long march, he said: “Political activity is one thing, while arriving in the form of armed mobs is quite another.” Maintaining that protesting was a fundamental right, he said this should be restricted to the personal area and city of any citizen.
The interior minister said Islamabad cannot be shut down, nor could attacks be allowed in the name of protest. He noted the government was fighting terrorism in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and called for greater focus on this fight rather than protests, gathering people or collecting funds. “It does not look good to carry the funerals of martyrs on one hand and prepare for a sit-in on the other,” he said, in an apparent reference to mobilization efforts of KP Chief Minister Sohail Afridi.
He said if the chief minister sought to confront terrorists with the same level of readiness as appeared to prepare for a sit-in, terrorism could be reduced considerably. “We are ready this time and will not allow the disorder that some people have spread in the past,” he warned, emphasizing that the Interior Ministry’s job was to prevent groups from entering Islamabad.
“If they want to bring a group, we are fully prepared,” he said, while urging “sensible” leaders of the opposition to reconsider the protest call.
Naqvi further asked the PTI to conduct a survey within its party, claiming a majority of its members and supporters might not know even why they were coming to Islamabad. “They [PTI] should think as patriotic Pakistanis,” he said, while clarifying that while he personally did not support blocking roads with containers, law enforcement agencies had no choice but to install them when necessary.
Constitutional protest
Separately, opposition alliance Tehreek Tahaffuz-e-Ain Pakistan held a meeting to review preparations for the proposed long march. Chaired by Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly Mahmood Khan Achakzai, the coalition decided to formulate a coordinated political, media and public outreach strategy to make the Sept. 27 protest effective.
The meeting agreed to accelerate contacts with all democratic parties and decided to hold an All-Parties Conference, stressing this was necessary to steer the country out of crisis.
The opposition alliance also declared the long march would be a peaceful, constitutional and democratic struggle. It pledged to continue its collective struggle for constitutional supremacy, parliamentary sovereignty, provincial rights, civil liberties and resolution of public issues. It reiterated that an “unrepresentative” government lacks authority to divide the provinces or turn them into mere administrative units.