Islamabad: On Saturday, Pakistani police apprehended over 40 workers and three leaders of the Jamaat-i-Islami (JI) in two separate incidents on the Srinagar Highway in Islamabad. This action was taken to prevent the radical organization, which has transitioned into a political party, from organizing an anti-Israel rally. The rally, planned from Faizabad to the United States embassy, reportedly lacked prior authorization from the district administration.
The district administration had refused to permit JI to organize the rally. A large contingent of police and Frontier Constabulary (FC) personnel cleared the JI camp that had been set up along the highway and arrested the workers and local leaders. This intervention led to a halt on the Srinagar Highway, and party members, angered by the police action, reacted by throwing stones at the officers. The police responded by dispersing them with tear gas shells and baton charges.
Arrested in the process were JI leader Kashif Chaudhry, spokesman Aamir Baloch, chief of JI Islamabad Nasrullah Randhawa, and other members. The police also seized their stage, sound equipment, and lights. According to a police official, no political organization is allowed to block city highways. He explained that rallies and processions are prohibited in the city due to the implementation of Section 144, but peaceful protests could be held with official approval.
JI Information Secretary Sajjad Ahmad Abbasi shared that the head of their Islamabad unit and his deputies, Dr. Farooq and Kashif Chaudhry, were taken into custody. The group was preparing for the 'Gaza March' scheduled for October 29, but authorities arrived and cleared out their camps.
Abbasi stated that the outfit had approached the capital administration two weeks ago, requesting a permission letter to organize the march from Faizabad to the United States embassy in the Diplomatic Enclave. He mentioned that the party had adjusted the march's itinerary twice at the administration's request, first from the Sports Complex to Dhokri Chowk, and then from Zero Point to Dhokri Chowk.
After Deputy Commissioner Irfan Nawaz Memon did not respond to their request for a No Objection Certificate (NOC) to hold the protest march, JI leader Kashif Chaudhry obtained the official's consent through WhatsApp. They established a camp and installed a sound system near Srinagar Highway in anticipation of the march, which had the deputy commissioner's clearance.
However, in the afternoon, a significant police presence arrived at the site and began uprooting their camps and confiscating their equipment, citing Section 144 and lack of permission from the administration for the protest rally as reasons. This led to a dispute that escalated into a physical altercation, with the JI members throwing stones at the officers, who responded with tear gas and baton charges. Approximately twenty party workers and at least three leaders were detained and taken to the Secretariat police station.
To protest the police crackdown, JI leaders gathered on the Srinagar Highway and held a press conference, resulting in further altercations with law enforcement. More than twenty members were arrested and placed in lock-up. A police spokesperson cited attempts to block the Srinagar Highway as the reason for the arrests and emphasized that the highway serves as an inter-provincial connectivity road, and blocking it creates problems for the public. The police advised adherence to standard protocols for peaceful protests.
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