Pakistan: Jamaat-e- Islami Demonstration in Islamabad; D-Chowk Square Closed

Jamaat-e- Islami, an Islamist political party, has called for a rally called Kashmir march at 13:00 (local time) on 22 December in the capital Islamabad to express solidarity with the people living in the Indian Occupied Kashmir (IOK). The rally has been scheduled to start at Khyber Plaza and move towards Jinnah Avenue (Blue Area) to D-Chowk.

The Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) administration has blocked the D-Chowk, a large town square located on the junction of Jinnah Avenue and Constitution Avenue in Islamabad, for the last several days due to the expected protests to be held at D-Chowk.

Advice

Increased security presence and large gatherings are expected. Travellers should be cautious and also avoid any protests sites to minimize inconvenience and safety risk. Even events intended to be peaceful can escalate unexpectedly and quickly become violent.

Meanwhile, blocking of the D-Chowk square may lead huge traffic at the nearby roads including NADRA Chowk, Fazl-e-Haq Road, China Chowk, F-6 and F-7 roads. Travellers should take additional time to reach the destination.