The federal government has reportedly spent over Rs500 million on security and related measures in Islamabad to manage the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) protest, which started on Sunday and concluded late Tuesday night following a government crackdown on demonstrators in the capital.
The PTI, led by its senior leadership, has been protesting for several demands, including the release of its founder Imran Khan, who has been in jail since August 2023, and the resignation of the current government. The protest began with a march from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and culminated in a sit-in near D-Chowk, Islamabad. Following the government operation, many senior PTI leaders reportedly fled the protest site.
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Islamabad police alone incurred Rs332.8 million in expenses primarily related to security arrangements. These included the rental of containers used to block key roads, the purchase of 35,000 tear gas shells, rubber bullets, and other crowd-control equipment. Additionally, 12,000 security personnel, comprising federal police, Punjab police, Sindh police, and the Frontier Corps (FC), were deployed across the city during the protest, from November 23 to 26. An estimated Rs170 million was spent on their meals, vehicle fuel, and other logistical needs.
The security measures involved the placement of 800 containers at 24 strategic locations across Islamabad, including D-Chowk, Jinnah Avenue, Zero Point, and various flyovers. The container rentals alone cost Islamabad police Rs72.8 million as of November 28.
PTI leader and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur, who had left Islamabad during the crackdown, later resurfaced in Mansehra and declared that the protest movement would continue until further orders from Imran Khan.
