Four planned long marches put twin cities on alert

Four separate calls for long marches during the next seven days have put the district administrations and police of the twin cities of Rawalpindi and Islamabad on high alert, prompting authorities to cancel the leaves of police personnel and administrative staff. Emergency has been imposed in hospitals in both cities. The army is already deployed in the twin cities, while Rangers have now also been called in. As a precautionary measure, large quantities of tear gas shells, guns and rubber-bullet guns have been requisitioned for police in the twin cities. The first long march will be organised by Jamaat-i-Islami on Sept 20, followed by a march from Azad Kashmir to Islamabad by the Azad Kashmir Action Committee on Sept 22. Farmers' organisations will hold their long march on Sept 25, while Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf has announced its long march for Sept 27. Various other organisations and political parties may also join these marches, adding to the concerns of the police and administration of the twin cities. The business community has also become highly worried over the situation. The police will conduct flag marches during the coming week, while authorities have also started reviewing the possibility of holidays in public and private schools. Emergency arrangements will remain in place at all hospitals on all four days, while the leaves of doctors, nurses and paramedical staff have also been cancelled. On the directives of the authorities, the government has decided to initiate negotiations with farmers, with efforts underway in the first phase to persuade them to cancel their long march. The district administration and police of the twin cities have also been ordered to arrange 400 containers, heavy vehicles and trailers for the coming week.