PTI protest delay may push Islamabad security bill past PKR 1 billion

Pakistan's security costs are expected to rise after jailed former prime minister Imran Khan's party postponed its planned protest in Islamabad from Sunday to October 4. The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf had announced a long march to the capital on September 27, mainly to demand the release of its founder.

With the protest delayed by a week, the federal government is likely to keep heightened security measures in place for longer. Dawn, citing police sources, reported that the amount sought by Islamabad police for arrangements to counter the PTI protest could effectively double, pushing the cost to the exchequer beyond PKR 1 billion.

Khan, 73, has been in jail since 2023 after he was arrested following his conviction in a corruption case. He is currently lodged in the high-security Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi. To stop the planned march, the federal government had already brought in hundreds of shipping containers to block roads and strengthen security deployment. The PTI's decision to postpone the protest meant the administration would have to stay on alert for another week.

After the PTI first announced its September 27 protest, Islamabad police, like police in Punjab, began preparations and sought PKR 820 million. This was meant to cover the rent of shipping containers, accommodation, and meals for personnel coming from Punjab and Sindh. The amount was calculated for one week, as police expected the protest and long march to end by October 4, but the postponement is expected to increase the bill.

All Pakistan Goods Alliance chairman Nisar Hussain Jaffri said the alliance had first sought a daily rent of PKR 40,000 for 40-foot containers and PKR 20,000 for 20-foot containers. He said this was later revised to PKR 30,000 per container for both sizes. After the PTI postponed the march, the police contacted the alliance about the containers, but the authorities had not yet decided whether to release them or keep them in custody. According to the sources, the daily rent for 1,550 containers works out to PKR 46.5 million, or PKR 325.5 million for one week and PKR 651 million for two weeks.

The sources said police had also sought 16,000 personnel from Punjab Police and 2,000 from Sindh Police. So far, only the Sindh contingent has reached Islamabad. Three meals a day are being provided to the visiting personnel, at a cost of PKR 600 per person. This means PKR 1.2 million is being spent each day on meals for the 2,000 Sindh Police personnel, or PKR 8.4 million for one week and PKR 16.8 million for two weeks. The 16,000-member Punjab Police contingent was supposed to reach the capital by the evening of September 25 so that deployment could begin from the evening of September 26, but no Punjab Police official had arrived in Islamabad by Friday evening, the sources said.

Police also arranged about 70 coasters, 30 double-cabin vehicles and buses to move personnel between their accommodation and duty points. The daily rent of a coaster is PKR 15,000, taking the daily cost of 70 coasters to PKR 1.05 million. The daily rent of a double-cabin vehicle is PKR 10,000, and the 30 vehicles cost PKR 300,000 a day. Police also booked 175 rooms in 13 hotels for 246 inspectors, 58 deputy and assistant superintendents of police, superintendents of police, 10 senior superintendents of police and eight deputy inspectors general of police. Of these, 157 rooms in 11 hotels were booked for officers from inspector to SP rank at a daily rent of PKR 754,500, or PKR 5.2815 million for one week. The daily food bill for the Punjab Police contingent, though it has yet to arrive, is estimated at PKR 9.6 million, rising to PKR 67.2 million for one week. The rent of the buses and the cost of 18 rooms in two hotels booked for DIGs and SSPs were not known.

Jaffri also said police in Islamabad and Punjab had taken at least 2,700 vehicles into custody along with their three-member crews. Of these, about 400 vehicles and their crews were still unaccounted for, while the crews of the remaining vehicles were being kept at police stations. He said the drivers and crew had not been formally arrested, but they were not being allowed to leave the stations except for meals. Their mobile phones, vehicle documents and keys had also been taken away. The sources said the crews would remain at the police stations until a decision was taken on whether the containers would be released, as special skills were needed to operate the large container trucks.

The containers and vehicles were taken in Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Lahore, Jhang, Hasanabdal, Attock, Kamoke, Taxila, Jhelum, Mianwali, Chakwal, Faisalabad and Gujrat. Dawn reported that 450 of the 2,700 vehicles were carrying goods, including medicines, food items and chemicals. The PTI is also said to be keeping its options open and may push back the protest date again, which could make it difficult for the government to sustain the same level of security deployment. On Wednesday, Pakistani authorities banned public gatherings in Islamabad for two months ahead of the march. The Islamabad administration said Section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code had been imposed, banning gatherings of five or more people, processions, rallies and demonstrations across the federal capital, including the high-security Red Zone. Overall, the postponement of the PTI protest has extended the security operation, raised the prospect of higher public spending and kept restrictions in place in the capital.