Story perspectives

Pakistan Blocks Islamabad Routes With 1,500 Shipping Containers

By Drooid · Sep 29, 2026, 4:50 PM UTC · How we work

Summary

Story summary

Pakistan authorities deployed over 1,500 shipping containers to block routes into Islamabad ahead of the postponed PTI rally.
Information Minister Attaullah Tarar announced PTI supporters will be barred from entering the capital.
Container-truck driver Rehmat Gul reported police stopped him, seized his keys and left his truck near Rawalpindi.
Human-rights groups warned that Section 144 bans and container barriers violate the constitutional right to peaceful assembly.

History

Historical Context

Indira Gandhi invoked Article 352 on 25 June 1975, citing internal disturbance after the Allahabad High Court verdict, and ruled India by decree for 21 months, imprisoning over 100,000 opponents. Decades later, Pakistan’s Information Minister Attaullah Tarar used Section 144 in March 2024, surrounding Islamabad with 1,500 steel containers to block PTI rallies, echoing past authoritarian road-block tactics.

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Story summary

Pakistan authorities deployed over 1,500 shipping containers to block routes into Islamabad ahead of the postponed PTI rally.
Information Minister Attaullah Tarar announced PTI supporters will be barred from entering the capital.
Container-truck driver Rehmat Gul reported police stopped him, seized his keys and left his truck near Rawalpindi.
Human-rights groups warned that Section 144 bans and container barriers violate the constitutional right to peaceful assembly.

1 / 2