Photo via Dawn

PTI’s protest postponement to double security cost in Islamabad

Read the original at Dawn ↗
Cite

Azeem, M. (2026, September 26). PTI’s protest postponement to double security cost in Islamabad. Dawn. https://www.dawn.com/news/2032649/ptis-protest-postponement-to-double-security-cost-in-islamabad

Dated when The Aporia collected the article, usually within hours of publication. Check the original for its exact date and byline.

Dawn · collected 2026-09-26 · by Munawer Azeem

Quick Summary

The government in Islamabad will pay Rs46.5 million per day for security measures to counter an upcoming PTI protest that has been postponed by a week. Initially, the capital police requested Rs820 million to cover one week of arrangements including container rentals and meals for police personnel arriving from other provinces. With the delay, the total expense is expected to exceed Rs1 billion. The cost includes daily rent for 1,550 containers and feeding over 16,000 visiting officers.
Written by AI on 2026-10-02, from this article's own text only (the story summary below draws on all the coverage).

AI analysis

Story summary

Finance minister Miftah Ismail announced that the government will spend PKR 1 billion to reinforce security measures in Islamabad ahead of Imran Khan's planned protest march, which has been delayed until October 4. The deployment of shipping containers and increased police presence have disrupted traffic and daily life in Islamabad and Rawalpindi. PTI supporters are demanding the release of jailed former Prime Minister Khan, who remains a popular figure despite his convictions on corruption charges. Despite the postponement, PTI spokesperson Zulfi Bukhari indicated that the party could launch the march earlier if deemed fit. Security costs have doubled since the initial announcement of the protest, straining government resources. Governor Faisal Karim Kundi defended security measures as precautionary against potential instability and violence. Analysts suggest that the protest poses a significant challenge to the military-backed government's legitimacy and stability. Khan's detention since 2023 has sparked widespread political unrest and arrests of party members. The ruling coalition, led by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, faces mounting pressure as the de facto leader, Field Marshal Asim Munir, remains influential in decision-making processes. Shipping containers deployed on key routes signal imminent protests, disrupting daily life for residents commuting between Islamabad and Rawalpindi. Fuel prices have also risen due to ongoing tensions with Iran, adding to public discontent. The PTI's protest plans continue to be a focal point of political tension in Pakistan.

Written for “Pakistani Protests And Government Response” on 2026-11-01, grounded in this article and the 25 other(s) covering the same event.

Story

📰 Pakistani Protests And Government Response
Politics · 26 article(s) covering the same event. Compare every outlet's account →

Compared with similar articles

This article reads unscored and hedges 3% of its claims. Each row says how that neighbour differs.
Al Jazeera
⚖️ Leans left Hedges 0 of 2 claims Outlet record 60/100
“The articles describe different events related to security arrangements for PTI's postponed protest versus Jamaat-e-Islami's ongoing march over fuel prices.”
Al Jazeera
⚖️ Leans right Hedges 2 of 18 claims Outlet record 60/100
“Article A describes road closures in Islamabad to prevent supporters from reaching the city for Imran Khan's release protest. Article B discusses the financial implications of security measures for a postponed PTI protest rally.”
Dawn
⚖️ Leans right Hedges 1 of 12 claims Outlet record 72/100
The Guardian
⚖️ Leans strongly left Hedges 4 of 33 claims Outlet record 66/100
“Article A describes the government's preparations and PTI's plans for an upcoming protest march on Islamabad, while Article B reports on the postponement of that protest and the increased security costs associated with it. Although related, they describe different stages of the same series of events.”
Times of India
⚖️ Leans right Hedges 1 of 20 claims Outlet record 59/100
Dawn
Hedges 4 of 43 claims Outlet record 72/100
Al Jazeera
⚖️ Leans right Hedges 0 of 2 claims Outlet record 60/100
The Hindu
⚖️ Leans left Hedges 1 of 9 claims Outlet record 60/100
Toronto Star
⚖️ Leans right Hedges 2 of 37 claims Outlet record 64/100
How this article was measured signals, leaning charts, publisher record, byline, topics and claims

Signals How these are calculated →

Claims extracted
33
sentences that state something as happening or true
Uncertain
3%
1 of 33 hedged ("reportedly", "may", "according to")
Leaning
not political
takes no side on a contested political question
Publisher signals
72/100
Dawn's corrections and hedging, across everything collected from it. Not a measure of accuracy.
Outlets on this story
26
Politics
Same framing elsewhere
1
articles that frame the event the way this one does
Analyzed 2026-09-26 · how these are computed

How this is being covered How these are calculated →

Article leaning vs. publisher reliability
Source leaning vs. consistency

Publisher

Dawn · 2546 article(s) · 3 correction(s) detected
Running correction rate · 3 correction(s)

Who wrote this

Munawer Azeem
9 article(s) here · 1 carrying a prediction
🔮 The agency said the payments and claims made by the accused were being examined and further legal action would follow as the investigation progressed.
🔮 The capital police have banned the use of social media for all ranks, including officers and other employees, and have warned that strict departmental action will be taken in accordance with the relevant rules in case of any violation.
🔮 The government will pay Rs46.5 million per day to the owners of 1,550 containers arranged to counter the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) protest in the capital.
🔮 It added that processions and demonstrations being planned in the territory were likely to threaten public peace, cause annoyance and injury, endanger human life and safety, threaten public property and could lead to a riot in Islamabad.
🔮 It added that processions and demonstrations being planned in the territory were likely to threaten public peace, cause annoyance and injury, endanger human life and safety, threaten public property and could lead to a riot in Islamabad.
🔮 Residents of the twin cities of Rawalpindi and Islamabad and their adjoining areas are set to brace for another possible confrontation between the personnel of the law enforcement agencies and protesters, as the police have already deployed more than 2,000 containers at various locations in the capital and at Attock Bridge, an entry point to the Punjab from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and northern parts of the country.
Also by Munawer Azeem
Nothing else under this byline is closely related to this article, so these are simply their most recent.
All 9 articles by Munawer Azeem →

Topics

All Pakistan Goods Alliance ISLAMABAD PTI Punjab Sindh Police

Subjects

ISLAMABAD GPE · 4× PTI ORG · 4× All Pakistan Goods Alliance ORG · 3× Punjab GPE · 3× Punjab Police ORG · 3× Sindh Police ORG · 2× Nisar Hussain Jaffri PERSON · 1× Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf ORG · 1× Sindh GPE · 1× the Punjab Police ORG · 1×

Narrative

Sources in the police said the amount requested by the capital police for security arrangements to counter the PTI’s protest would effectively double and was likely to cost the exchequer more than Rs1 billion as the political party has postponed the protest rally for about a week.
framing: assertive · carried by 1 article(s) · first seen 2026-09-26
🔮 The government will pay Rs46.5 million per day to the owners of 1,550 containers arranged to counter the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) protest in the capital.

Claims (33 extracted, 1 hedged)

The government will pay Rs46.5 million per day to the owners of 1,550 containers arranged to counter the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) protest in the capital. asserted
government → pay → capital
Sources in the police said the amount requested by the capital police for security arrangements to counter the PTI’s protest would effectively double and was likely to cost the exchequer more than Rs1 billion as the political party has postponed the protest rally for about a week. asserted
party → say → week
Earlier, PTI had announced a countrywide protest starting on September 27. asserted
PTI → announce → September
Following the announcement, the capital police, like their counterparts in Punjab, began preparations and requested Rs820 million to cover the rent of containers, accommodation and meals for the police personnel arriving from Punjab and Sindh. asserted
police → follow → Punjab
Police yet to decide whether to release containers or retain them in their custody, says All Pakistan Goods Alliance chairman The amount was intended to cover one week, as the police expected the protest and long march, scheduled to begin on September 27, to disperse by October 4. asserted
protest → decide → October
However, with the protest and long march postponed for a week, the expenses are also expected to increase. asserted
expenses → postpone → week
All Pakistan Goods Alliance Chairman Nisar Hussain Jaffri said the alliance had initially demanded a daily rent of Rs40,000 and Rs20,000 for 40-foot and 20-foot containers, respectively. asserted
alliance → say → containers
Later, he said, the demand was revised to Rs30,000 per container for both sizes. asserted
demand → say → sizes
After PTI postponed the long march, the police were asked about the containers, he said, adding that the authorities had so far not decided whether to release or retain them in their custody. asserted
authorities → postpone → custody
The sources said that according to the demand the daily rent for 1,550 containers comes to Rs46.5 million, while the rent for one week is Rs325.5 million and for two weeks Rs651 million. uncertain
rent → say → weeks
The sources said the police had also requested a contingent of 16,000 personnel from the Punjab Police and 2,000 from the Sindh Police. asserted
police → say → Police
So far, the Sindh Police contingent has reached the capital and is staying at marquees at the Police Lines Headquarters, Faisal Mosque and Community Centre G-13. asserted
contingent → reach → Headquarters
Three meals a day are being provided to the visiting personnel. asserted
meals → provide → personnel
The cost of three meals per person is Rs600, meaning Rs1.2 million is being spent each day to feed the 2,000 Sindh Police personnel. asserted
million → mean → personnel
Surprisingly, the requested Punjab Police contingent is yet to reach Islamabad. asserted
contingent → request → Islamabad
The sources said the 16,000-member contingent was scheduled to reach the capital by the evening of September 25, as the deployment plan was to take effect from the evening of September 26. asserted
plan → say → September
However, no Punjab Police official had arrived in Islamabad by Friday evening, they added. asserted
they → arrive → evening
About 70 coasters, 30 double-cabin vehicles and buses were also arranged to transport the police force between their places of accommodation and designated duty points. asserted
coasters → arrange → accommodation
The daily rent of a coaster is Rs15,000, bringing the daily cost of 70 coasters to Rs1.05 million. asserted
rent → bring → million
The daily rent of a double-cabin vehicle is Rs10,000, while the 30 vehicles cost Rs300,000 per day. asserted
vehicles → cost → day
The police also booked 175 rooms in 13 hotels in different sectors 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. asserted
police → book → police
Of the 13 hotels, 157 rooms in 11 hotels were booked for officers from the ranks of inspector to SP. asserted
rooms → book → SP
Although the Punjab Police contingent has yet to arrive in the capital, its three-meal daily food bill is estimated at Rs9.6 million. asserted
bill → have → million
The cost would rise to Rs67.2 million for one week. asserted
cost → rise → week
The rent of the buses arranged to transport the police force, as well as the rent of 18 rooms at two hotels booked for DIGs and SSPs, was not known. asserted
rent → arrange → DIGs
Meanwhile, All Pakistan Goods Alliance Chairman Nisar Hussain said the police in Islamabad and Punjab had taken into custody at least 2,700 vehicles along with their three-member crews. asserted
police → say → crews
Of the total, about 400 vehicles and their crews were still missing, while the crews of the remaining vehicles were being kept at police stations. asserted
crews → miss → stations
He clarified that the police had not formally arrested the drivers and other crew members but had stopped them from leaving the police stations except for meals. asserted
police → clarify → meals
The police had also confiscated their mobile phones, vehicle documents and keys. asserted
police → confiscate → phones
The sources said the crews would remain at the police stations until a decision was made on releasing the containers. asserted
decision → say → containers
They were being kept there to drive and move the vehicles, as special skills were required to operate the large container trucks. asserted
skills → keep → trucks
The containers and vehicles were seized and their crew members detained in Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Lahore, Jhang, Hasanabdal, Attock, Kamoke, Taxila, Jhelum, Mianwali, Chakwal, Faisalabad and Gujrat. asserted
members → seize → Islamabad
Of the 2,700 vehicles, 450 were carrying goods, including medicines, food items and chemicals. asserted
450 → carry → medicines
💬Give feedback
🕘History 🎫Support