Before the announced protest at F-9 park’s D-Chowk, several Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) workers were arrested in Islamabad. In response, JI changed tact and asked its supporters to go to the H-8 Bridge while Rehman initiated a motorcade into the city.
Praying at the sit-in, on the Islamabad Expressway Hafiz Naeem blamed the government for corruption and overcharging through Independent Power Producers (IPPs). He called them to seek reprieve for the public and to shut down all IPPs; he stated that protestation is allowable by law. He threatened that if the workers detained were not released, this JI would resort to holding sit-ins across the nation.
Polices used containers and other barriers to bar people from accessing D-Chowk where the sit-in was to be held hence creating traffic jams and other inconveniences. However, while there were no mob scenes some of the workers found themselves arrested to prevent what the authorities deemed rebellious actions.
JI workers again stood on part of Murree Road and warned to expand the sit-in if they were not allowed to reach D-Chowk. They assembled at H-8 Interchange some of them had masked their faces with Hafiz Naeem and waved fists chanting anti-government slogans.
Due to the massive police presence and barricades, Jihad set up a stage and loudspeakers at the H-8 Expressway, and many thousands were assembled. The procession consisted of speeches by Hafiz Naeem, provincial leader Maulana Hidayatur Rehman Baloch, who came to Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and Gwadar.
JI decided its initial protest at Liaquat Bagh because workers performed a sit-in on Murree Road. Hafiz Naeem demanded the government to unlock entry and exit and allow people to join the protest demonstration fully cautioning that their non-violent fight could intensify if the government failed to respond to their demands.
