Shipping Containers Turn Islamabad Streets Into a Fortress Ahead of PTI’s October 4 March

ISLAMABAD — Row upon row of brightly painted shipping containers now lines the streets of Pakistan’s capital, the surest signal that authorities are bracing for a political confrontation as supporters of imprisoned former prime minister Imran Khan prepare to march on the city, according to the Associated Press.

The march by Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), which is demanding his release, was due to set off from Peshawar on Sept 27 but has been postponed to Oct 4. Cranes have lowered red, blue and green containers into place along key routes into the high-security Red Zone, which houses parliament, government offices and foreign embassies. Some sit stacked two high; others have narrowed broad avenues into single, controlled passages.

Khan, 73, has been imprisoned since 2023 on corruption and other convictions which he and his party say are politically motivated. Authorities have detained three of his sisters and hundreds of party activists in recent days, according to Reuters.

Information Minister Attaullah Tarar told reporters that PTI supporters “would not be allowed to enter the capital,” citing the party’s “track record of disruption.” Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi, who announced the postponement, insisted the rally would be peaceful.

For residents, the barricades already mean long detours, rising fuel costs and shuttered shops. Similar closures in November 2024 ended with tear gas as Khan’s supporters defied a rally ban — a memory that now has many stocking up on food as the cranes return.

Sources:
Associated Press: https://www.kcau9.com/news/international/ap-in-islamabad-shipping-containers-on-the-streets-signal-a-protest-is-imminent/
Reuters: https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/imran-khans-party-postpones-planned-islamabad-march-october-4-2026-09-25/