Government Moves to Keep Islamabad Free of Sit-Ins, Rana Sanaullah Says
ISLAMABAD, PAKISTAN — WEB DESK: Prime Minister’s adviser on political affairs Rana Sanaullah has said the federal government has adopted a firm policy aimed at preventing disruptive political sit-ins in Islamabad, as authorities intensify security ahead of PTI’s planned September 27 march.
Speaking on Express News programme Center Stage, Sanaullah said a decision had been taken to end what he described as repeated protest “spectacles” in the federal capital and prevent political groups from entering Islamabad for such mobilisations.
The remarks come amid extensive security measures around the capital ahead of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s planned mobilisation.
However, the government statement should not be interpreted as abolishing the constitutional right to peaceful protest nationwide or necessarily as a permanent statutory ban on every demonstration in Islamabad.
The Islamabad High Court has recently affirmed that citizens and political parties have a constitutional right to peaceful assembly, while also holding that the right is subject to law and reasonable public-order restrictions.
Rana Sanaullah Signals Long-Term Policy
Sanaullah’s remarks indicate that the government wants to move beyond temporary security arrangements and pursue a longer-term policy against disruptive sit-ins in the federal capital.
According to Express News, he said the government had decided that political groups would not be allowed to enter Islamabad for such protests.
The comments come one day before PTI’s scheduled September 27 mobilisation, which has prompted some of the most extensive security preparations around Islamabad in recent weeks.
Authorities have deployed containers across major roads, closed alternative approaches from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and planned police deployments on trails descending from the Margalla Hills.
Peaceful Assembly Remains a Constitutional Right
The legal distinction between a disruptive sit-in and peaceful assembly is important.
In its recent ruling concerning PTI’s planned march, the Islamabad High Court stated that political parties have a constitutional right to peaceful assembly and political dissent.
At the same time, the court said that rights of residents — including life, liberty, movement, access to hospitals and educational institutions, and the ability to conduct business — must also be protected.
The court cited Article 16 of Pakistan’s Constitution, which protects peaceful and unarmed assembly subject to reasonable restrictions imposed by law in the interest of public order.
It further held that political demonstrations cannot lawfully be used to paralyse the capital, restrict citizens’ movement or disrupt normal business and institutional activity.
That means the current government position is more accurately described as a policy against disruptive marches and sit-ins in the federal capital, rather than an unrestricted legal prohibition on peaceful political expression.
Section 144 Already in Force
Islamabad’s district administration has separately imposed Section 144, restricting gatherings in the capital ahead of the PTI mobilisation.
The administration announced on September 23 that gatherings were prohibited under Section 144 and referred to restrictions under the Peaceful Assembly and Public Order Act 2024. It warned that violations could result in legal action.
Those restrictions form part of the immediate security response and are distinct from Sanaullah’s broader political statement about future protests.
PTI Says Its Protest Will Be Peaceful
PTI, meanwhile, maintains that its planned mobilisation is intended to be peaceful.
Party chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan said earlier this week that PTI would come to Islamabad but insisted the protest would remain peaceful.
The government has taken a different view of the risks surrounding the mobilisation.
Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi said on September 18 that nobody would be permitted to shut down Islamabad and warned that law-enforcement agencies would stop attempts to enter the capital in violation of court orders.
The two sides therefore differ over the character and legality of the planned mobilisation: PTI describes its action as peaceful political protest, while government officials have emphasised the potential impact on public order and citizens’ rights.
Islamabad Fortified Ahead of September 27
Authorities have prepared an extensive security plan for the capital.
More than 22,000 officers and personnel were expected to be deployed in Islamabad, including reinforcements from Punjab and Sindh, according to earlier Express News reporting. More than 1,000 containers were also earmarked for roads and entry and exit points.
Additional measures include containers on roads connected with Margalla Road, Srinagar Highway and Islamabad Expressway, while the mountain connection towards Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has also been blocked.
These measures relate directly to the September 27 mobilisation and should be distinguished from any longer-term government policy announced by political officials.
Is There Really a “Permanent Ban”?
The headline question requires an important qualification.
Rana Sanaullah has said the government has decided to end disruptive protest sit-ins in Islamabad and prevent political groups from entering the capital for such activity.
But the Islamabad High Court’s recent judgment simultaneously recognises peaceful assembly as a constitutional right, subject to lawful public-order restrictions.
Based on the information currently available, there is no basis to report that every form of peaceful protest in Islamabad has permanently become illegal.
The publication-safe formulation is therefore that the federal government has announced a firm policy to prevent disruptive political marches and sit-ins in Islamabad, while the precise legal scope and long-term implementation of that policy remain to be established.
