Islamabad, September 24, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
Sealing Islamabad and Rawalpindi from the rest of Pakistan will not help the government manage the country’s deepening economic, political and governance crisis, according to an analysis by Professor Moonis Ahmar, former Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences at the University of Karachi.
Writing in The Friday Times, Ahmar said the government’s handling of economic and political challenges had exposed the weaknesses of the Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif-led coalition administration.
He criticised the continued rise in fuel prices and said the government had failed to reduce petrol and diesel prices despite international crude oil prices falling below $100 a barrel. He also pointed to increases in electricity tariffs, gas prices and the cost of essential commodities including vegetables, fruits, meat, milk, flour and cooking oil.
Ahmar said the government’s response to protests by Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) over petroleum prices and the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) planned September 27 march demanding the release of jailed former Prime Minister Imran Khan had focused heavily on security measures.
Authorities have imposed Section 144 in Islamabad for two months, prohibiting gatherings of five or more people as well as rallies, processions and demonstrations. Section 144 has also been imposed across Punjab for 13 days, while the provincial government has sought Rangers’ deployment in Rawalpindi, Attock, Jhelum and Mianwali amid preparations for the PTI protest.
Major routes into Islamabad have also been sealed at several points as authorities prepare for the September 27 PTI march.
Ahmar argued that such measures would not address the underlying crisis. “Sealing Islamabad and Rawalpindi from rest of the country will not help manage crisis which is of a critical nature,” he wrote, adding that the economic cost of restricting the capital as well as its impact on Pakistan’s international image should be considered.
He further said that if discussions were taking place within military circles to prevent a situation resembling civil war, it would indicate the importance of “sanity and strategic prudence”.
Ahmar also argued that Pakistan’s political institutions and civil society had been weakened, while dissent linked to economic difficulties was gaining momentum. He said the authorities could use force only until civil society leaders, lawyers, media and young people decided to launch a broader movement against the existing system.
The PTI has announced its September 27 march to Islamabad to demand Khan’s release, while authorities have stepped up security measures ahead of the mobilisation.
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