PESHAWAR: It was a routine Sunday but only outside the provincial capital as all the entry and exit points of the Peshawar Cantonment remained blocked, guarded by cops armed with batons.

From eastern entry to the provincial capital at Qilla Bala Hisar to the western entry on University road, the cantonment wore a deserted look, like what people saw during the lockdowns in Covid-19. With the mobile phone networks suspended, many were unaware of the situation and continued with their routines, they however had to choose alternative routes to reach their destinations.

Police and personnel of other law enforcement agencies, including many in plainclothes, were seen patrolling the roads leading to the Governor’s House, central police office, police’s headquarters and other government installations mostly located in the red zone.

Also, vehicles with tinted glasses, police mobile vans, armoured personnel carriers and other vehicles of law enforcement agencies were the only transport visible in and around the cantonment with life at standstill.

The situation, however, remained normal, except for suspension of mobile phone networks and broadband, for those living on Kohat road, Charsadda road, GT road, beyond Pir Zakorhi Bridge, and the area bordering Khyber tribal district and other localities on the outskirts of the provincial capital. Also, vehicles of armed forces patrolled cantonment.

Police remained on high alert with heavy deployment across the provincial capital and on its outskirts including Kohat road, GT road, University road and Warsak road.

With mobile phone and broadband networks suspended, people faced immense issues while withdrawing money from their bank accounts since ATMs remained out of service for the entire day.

Earlier on Saturday, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa police chief Zulfiqar Hameed issued guidelines to all the district police officers due to possible violent protests and sabotage activities in case of imposition of emergency by the federal government in the province.

Mr Hameed, in an order issued from his office, asked the officers, not only in the provincial capital but district police officers (DPO), sub-divisional police officers (SDPO) and even station house officers (SHO) to personally monitor the situation.

The police chief ordered that the senior most supervisory police officer [district and sub-divisional police officers] present at the scene should determine the type and quantum of force to be used for dispersing any unlawful assembly. “When it is required to use force as per law, its application shall be of minimum essential standard,” said the notification.

It read that the use of force should be graduated, starting from minimum to optimum level. It added that in the first phase, violent protesters might clearly be warned against violence before starting use of force.

Published in Dawn, October 12th, 2026