RAWALPINDI/ISLAMABAD: Following Imran Khan’s announcement that his party will observe a ‘Day of Deliverance’ on Friday, both the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) and the district administration are flexing their muscles in anticipation of a showdown.

The administration has imposed Section 144 in Rawalpindi once again, in a bid to prevent motorcyclists and bike-rallies from joining the PTI protest, while the protesting party has told supporters to ditch their bikes for four-wheeled vehicles.

In addition, capital police now plan to round up protesters from areas such as Bhara Kahu, Tarnol, Golra and Sihala, where they gather before heading into the city in the form of larger groups.

l PTI asks workers to ditch motorcycles as authorities impose Section 144 again l Admin to seal bridges between twin cities with containers l Police to use cell phone data to track those who attacked PTV, other key buildings

Four wheels are better than two

On its part, the PTI has decided to use private cars to transport men and women who want to participate in the sit-in, from Rawalpindi to Islamabad.

They have been asked to travel normally and not come in the shape of a rally, which will be more susceptible to interception by the police, a senior party leader told Dawn.

He said that though local police would stop motorcyclists, they would not prevent ‘families’ in their cars from entering the capital, adding that the local leaders had been asked to hire private cars for this purpose.

PTI District President Arif Abbasi told Dawn that most people who would join the sit-in were from Rawalpindi and Islamabad and a smaller number would come in from out of town.

PAT Rawalpindi Suhail Abbasi also told Dawn that his party was making arrangements to bring in more people on Saturday.

The party was also bracing for an expected police crackdown in the days to come.

Rawalpindi District Coordination Officer Sajid Zafar Dall said that Section 144 was in forced in Rawalpindi district for two days, and that pillion riding and carrying arms in public would be prohibited.

But he insisted this was done in view of a threat from terrorists and was not meant to target any politician or political group.

PML rallies

The Pakistan Muslim League (PML-Q) – allied with the Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) of Dr Tahirul Qadri, has also announced it will lead rallies from Attock and Talagang to joint he protesters on Constitution Avenue. According to sources within the party, PML-Q chief Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain has assigned the task to party leader and retired Major Tahir Sadiq.

Containers

A senior administration official from the garrison city told Dawn that “Containers will be placed on bridges connecting Rawalpindi and Islamabad. However, main roads within the city will remain open to traffic.”

He said that police would stop those trying to enter the capital from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. He said that police had made arrangements, whereby those booked can be shifted to prison immediately.

Cell phone data

Islamabad police, meanwhile, are looking to employ Geo Fencing, a modern technique that creates a virtual boundary around a real-word geographical area. In doing so, a radius of interest is established that can trigger an action in a geo- enabled phone or other portable electronic device.

Through this method, cell phones active in a certain area during a specific timeframe can be identified. Individuals can then be tracked down through that information and arrested, sources said.

Using this method, police have already tracked several PTI activists to government hostels, official residences and some official accommodations such as KP House in the Red Zone. The administration of these buildings has been asked to clear their premises of PTI supporters, as they may be wanted in connection with criminal activities.

Inspector General of Islamabad Police Tahir Alam Khan told Dawn that police were only arresting those who were the part of the mobs that stormed key buildings between August 30 and September 1. “Every member of the gathering, whether they were directly involved in the act or not, are considered guilty by association,” he added.

Published in Dawn, September 19th, 2014