Prime Minister’s Adviser on Political Affairs Rana Sanaullah contended on Saturday that everyone had a constitutional and legal right to protest, but Islamabad should be off-limits for demonstrations and urged people to “end the practice” of staging long marches and protests in the federal capital.

PTI had been gearing up for a nationwide protest and march towards Islamabad to press for the release of its founder, Imran Khan, who is currently incarcerated in Rawalpindi’s Adiala jail. However, the party announced a day ago that the march has been postponed to Oct 4.

Jamaat-i-Islami (JI) had also launched a march towards Islamabad against the petroleum levy, but it postponed the move at the request of PM Shehbaz Sharif, pending a meeting with him.

“If anyone needs to protest, they can do so in Faisalabad, Hyderabad, Karachi, Peshawar, or Multan. This practice needs to end,” Sanaullah said on Geo News programme ‘Jirga’.

He pointed out that the ban on protests in Islamabad did not apply only to the PTI. Gatherings in the capital without prior permission are also banned under the Peaceful Assembly and Public Order Act 2024, which had been rushed through the National Assembly ahead of a PTI gathering that month.

“Peaceful protest is everyone’s constitutional and legal right, but they need to minus Islamabad from that,” Sanaullah stated. “It is everyone’s right, but minus attacks on Islamabad. This must be ensured.”

He highlighted that a message had been sent that no protests would be allowed within Islamabad, as foreign diplomats were present in the federal capital and demonstrations would send a “bad message”.

The PML-N leader accused PTI of aiming to overthrow the government, alleging that their goal is to “erect ladders next to the walls of Adiala jail and break in to meet Imran Khan”, who has been incarcerated there since an Aug 5, 2023 conviction.

“How is this peaceful?” Sanaullah asked.

“Party leaders have been threatening to overthrow the government or free someone from jail and then go back,” he outlined. “Permission for a long march will not be granted if this is their intent.”

The PM’s aide stressed that no streets in Islamabad, besides those in the Red Zone and the M-1 Motorway, were shut for traffic. He clarified that containers had only been placed “at the corners” of the city’s roads for “safety”.

“There are containers on every corner of Islamabad, but as we speak right now, no roads have been closed with them,” he said, explaining that containers have been placed at those points so they can be deployed as and when needed.

“The situation in Islamabad is not as it is being described in the media,” he asserted, noting that some were referring to the capital as a “container city”.

The PM’s aide stressed that PTI also did not submit any application to the Islamabad administration seeking permission for a gathering, nor inform it of its expected time and duration.

Sanaullah added that PTI should approach the Islamabad High Court (IHC) and provide their “required guarantees”, contending that they did not intend to do that.

Asked if the authorities’ response to any march would be similar to the Nov 26, 2024 crackdown on PTI’s ’Final Call’ protest, Sanaullah said he did not want to “say any such thing” as there were fellow Pakistanis, friends and colleagues in the party.

However, he warned that PTI “should not hold such a march at any cost that would attempt to push back law enforcement agencies and move towards D-Chowk”.

“Under no circumstance will they be granted access,” Sanaullah warned, cautioning PTI supporters against using force, noting that such an action, in the wake of IHC’s recent ruling, would provide authorities with “legal backing” to respond.

Hearing a plea against the planned march, the IHC on September 14 ruled that no political party or its leadership has the “lawful right to occupy public roads, highways, interchanges, toll plazas and buildings in Islamabad”.

Meanwhile, in the Rawalpindi Division and the federal capital territory, security measures and preparations to deal with any emergency situation remain in place despite the postponement of the march.

Punjab had already imposed a ban on gatherings across the province until Oct 5 and prohibited inciting people to “unlawful assembly”. A similar ban under Section 144 has been enforced in Islamabad for two months.

The federal government has also approved the deployment of Rangers in Islamabad and several districts of Punjab from Sept 20 to Oct 5.