PESHAWAR, Sept 30: The provincial capital is bracing for another protest march being organised by Difa-i-Pakistan Council (DPC) today (Monday) against the blasphemous film made in US and drone strikes in tribal area of the country.

Capital city police have made elaborate arrangements to protect sensitive places and brought empty containers to be placed in front of the US Consulate late in the night to protect its building. The US diplomatic mission is situated in the cantonment area. One lane of the Khyber Road has already been blocked with containers.

The district administration has already declared the vicinity as a prohibited zone. A driver said that traffic police had impounded over 30 containers and parked them near the US consulate. A senior police officer said that security of the consulate was a major source of concern that was why additional security arrangements had been made.

The DPC, including 40 religious parties and banned outfits, has announced to take out a protest rally from Jamaat-i-Islami’s provincial secretariat near Chamkani.

Syed Munawar Hassan, Hafiz Saeed, Maulana Mohammad Ahmad Ludhianvi and other leaders of the council would lead the rally. They would be taken to Karkhano Market adjacent to Khyber Agency in a vehicular procession where the leaders would address workers.

Organisers insist that vehicular procession would be taken through Khyber Road and as such passing through the red zone, which houses the provincial secretariat, assembly, judicial complex and security installations.

Sources said that strict security arrangements had been made in view of the Sept 21 riots which rocked Peshawar. Five people were killed and around 80 wounded in the violence on the day. The mobsters also ransacked public and private properties and burnt cinema houses during the rioting. Police have procured footages of the protests and are looking for 46 suspects who allegedly ransacked properties.

District coordination officer Mohammad Javid Marwat and senior police officers held a meeting with the council’s leaders at Al Markaz-i-Islami on Sunday to persuade them to change route of the march. The district administration suggested them to use Sher Shah Suri Road or Ring Road, but they (organisers) did not agree.

“We can’t change the route and will protest in front of the consulate before heading to Jamrud,” said Beherullah, district president of Jamaat-i-Islami.

The DCO said that the council’s leaders gave a firm assurance of holding a peaceful rally. He said that the marchers would be allowed to use a single lane of Khyber Road if they insisted to pass through it.