Islamabad, Pakistan – For Mohammad Zaheer, a 14-year-old ninth grader at a government school in Islamabad, Monday’s unexpected holiday was a chance to play cricket with his friends on empty streets, without worrying about traffic disrupting their game.
His only concern? That there will be another holiday on Tuesday.
“I hope there is, so our school will remain closed for another day, and I can hang out with my friends,” Zaheer told Al Jazeera happily on Monday morning.
Zaheer’s school, along with all other educational institutions in Islamabad, was closed – not for a public holiday, but because of the expected arrival of thousands of supporters of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) for a massive demonstration in the country’s capital.
Thousands of PTI members and supporters began a march from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa – the party’s ruling province – to Islamabad on November 24, vowing to lay siege to the capital until their leader and party founder, Imran Khan, is released from prison. .
The protestors have reached near the border of Islamabad, although they are facing difficulties despite clashes with the police. The motorcade, led by Khan’s wife Bushra Bibi, is expected to arrive in the capital later in the evening on Monday.
Khan, a former prime minister, has been in jail since August 2023 on multiple charges.
Despite his arrest, Khan issued a “final call” on November 14, urging supporters to take to the streets on November 24 to protest against the “stolen mandate” of this year’s elections, the “unjust detention” of PTI leaders and activists and against the law. the passage of a controversial recent constitutional amendment, which gave the government the power to oversee the appointment of high court judges.
The PTI was barred by election authorities from using its party symbol in February’s national elections, but its candidates – who were independent – still won more seats than any other party. The PTI however alleged that the counting was rigged and the candidates won more seats. The Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) and the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), who came second and third in the election, formed a coalition that now governs the country.
In response to PTI’s calls for protests in Islamabad in recent months, the government has repeatedly imposed measures such as closing the city’s entry and exit points and enforcing internet blackouts.
“PTI’s protests are harming the country and causing great hardship to the citizens,” Union Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi said at a press conference on November 24 at D-Chowk, the only PTI march.
The Chowk lies in the “Red Zone” of Islamabad, which is an area that houses important government institutions such as the president’s office, the prime minister’s office, the national assembly, the high court and the official residence.
The government’s decision to block entry points from Friday night onwards has severely disrupted normal travel, with businesses across the city reporting a significant drop in activity.
Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb said on Sunday that the opposition protests were leading to a daily loss of 190 billion rupees ($684 million), citing reduced tax collections and business stagnation.
Among those affected is Tahir Mehmood, 38 years old, a furniture seller at Abbas Market, which is a kilometer (half a mile) away from D-Chowk.
“I have been sitting in my shop for three days without a single customer. I can’t even go home because the roads are closed, and I’m afraid that the police might mistake me as a protester and arrest me,” Mehmood told Al Jazeera.
“I don’t care about politics. It doesn’t matter to me who is in charge. All I care about is providing for my family of six members. Instead, I spend money on electricity and food without making a single rupee. I haven’t even seen my children for three days,” he added.
This frustration was echoed by Safdar Ali, a cyclist for ride-hailing app Bykea, who found it impossible to find work through his app due to mobile internet blackouts.
“I don’t know who to blame. The government says billions are lost, while the PTI says they are fighting for the release of their leader. But we daily wage workers bear the real cost. Who will compensate us?” the 34-year-old cried, adding that he was forced to work even though he had a fever.
The streets of the city were blocked by large shipping containers, barbed wire, and other obstacles, forcing passengers to travel in an increasingly large area.
On Monday morning, the usually busy streets of Islamabad were quiet, with very little traffic. Many shops are always closed, and those that were always open see the shopkeepers waiting for customers doing nothing.
Daud Shafqat, 23 years old, a barber in F-6 area, said he spent a lot of time in the past two days watching YouTube and TikTok, because of the shop’s internet connection. Broadband internet is still working in Islamabad.
“In two days, I have only three customers. The rest of the time, I sit outside. At least I have my phone to entertain myself,” she said.
Although Shafqat expressed his love for Imran Khan and voiced his support for the PTI, he had no plans to join the protest.
“I hope that Khan will be released soon, but going to protests is not something for me. Honestly, it feels like a waste of time,” he added.
For Jamal Abdullah, a producer of a private entertainment channel in Islamabad, coming to work was a nightmare. He finally arrived at his office after eleven o’clock in the morning, two hours later.
“I live 20 kilometers away, and my commute usually takes less than half an hour. Today, I tried to make several detours with my car, but all the roads were closed. Finally, I returned home and parked the car and had to rent a bicycle to get to the office,” he said.
Abdullah likened the protests in Islamabad to his years living in Karachi, the largest city in the country’s southern Sindh province, which was plagued by daily violence.
“When I moved to Islamabad 10 years ago, I thought it was the best decision of my life. Now, my friends in Karachi are telling me not to come back, and I wonder if moving here was a mistake,” she said.
In Aabpara Market, one of the oldest and busiest commercial areas in Islamabad, the atmosphere was similarly subdued. Usually packed with customers and cars, the market on Mondays had empty parking lots and idle shopkeepers.
“This is madness. Every month, there is a protest, and nothing has changed. How long will one party hold the city?” said 51-year-old mobile shop owner Rana Shafiq, visibly upset.
Shafiq said many shopkeepers were angry with the PTI and the government for failing to resolve their differences.
“Both sides must sit down and talk. Aabpara used to be so busy that you couldn’t find a parking space. Now, we just keep getting losses. Enough is enough. They must fix this,” he said.
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