Daily Times

RAWALPINDI: The Rawalpindi Police and its administration have evolved a strategy to counter PTI moves for locking down the twin cities of Rawalpindi and Islamabad and staging a “dharna” (sit-in) in Islamabad.

The decision has been taken to pursue various options to stop lawlessness and sit-ins at every cost.

Sources told Daily Times that a crackdown would be launched against the PTI workers and leaders ahead of Imran Khan’s prospective visit to Rawalpindi on October 27 and ahead of the public meeting at Lal Haveli on October 28.

All the entry points of Rawalpindi and Islamabad will be sealed for not allowing the caravans coming from Punjab and the KP to enter the twin cities.

All the roads and entry points at Haji Camp, Pir Wadhai More, Taxila, Tarnol crossing, Gujar Khan, Mandra and Mandra-Chakwal road will be sealed. The senior officers from the police and the district management have geared up the pace of consultations with each other.

Barricades will be erected and police cordons will be set up at all the entry and exit points of the twin cities. The high ranking police officers have started a survey of all the entry points of Islamabad and Rawalpindi.

The sources told Daily Times that special training was being imparted to the Punjab Police to protect them from the attacks and stone pelting from unruly mobs.

The CPO Rawalpindi, Israr Ahmad, has started seeking pledges from the police personnel for showing allegiance to their department in hard times. The morale of the police is being boosted and they are being directed to remain calm in any untoward situation.

The parliamentary members of the ruling party and the police and the administration have decided to adopt a political strategy to thwart the attempts for shutting down Islamabad and staging a sit-in there. Responsibilities have been assigned to the members of assemblies from Rawalpindi division.

They have been directed to hold public meetings and rallies in their respective constituencies so that all the avenues could be blocked who came under the pretext of rallies and public meetings.

The senior police and district management officers have started contacting transporters so that minimum transport facilities become available to the PTI.