Security beefed up in Rawalpindi amid TLP's Islamabad march plan

• TLP announces march towards Islamabad on October 10.
• No road blockades, disruptions to traffic are allowed: police.
• Administration places containers at Faizabad Interchange.
  

RAWALPINDI: The Rawalpindi police have beefed up security across the city to deal with any untoward situation as Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) announced plans to march towards Islamabad on October 10.

City Police Officer (CPO) Rawalpindi Syed Khalid Hamdani chaired a high-level meeting with senior police officers to review the law and order situation.

The police officer warned that no road blockades, disruptions to traffic, or violent activities under the pretext of protest will be tolerated.

The CPO made it clear that any acts affecting normal public life, damaging property, or attacking law enforcement agencies will be dealt with strictly under the law.

"Those who violate the law will be dealt with strictly," the CPO warned and added, "Attacks on citizens' properties or law enforcement agencies will not be tolerated under any circumstances."

Ahead of the protest, the Islamabad administration has shifted shipping containers at the Faizabad Interchange — a site known for previous TLP sit-ins, said sources.

Islamabad's entry and exit points could be sealed any time after Thursday evening, the sources said. They added that the red zone will be fully sealed, and entry or exit will only be permitted for authorised individuals via Margalla Road.

Authorities are also considering suspending mobile phone services in Islamabad as part of security measures, sources added. Orders have already been issued to vacate hotels along Murree Road and in nearby areas.

The Rawalpindi police also initiated a crackdown on TLP workers in different parts of the city, during which several activists have been arrested.