Adiala Jail Security Tightened as 435 Police Deployed in Rawalpindi

RAWALPINDI: Authorities have introduced a new security plan around Adiala Jail, deploying hundreds of police personnel and expanding checkpoints around the high-security prison. The arrangements took effect on Tuesday and will remain in place until further orders, with police tightening control over roads and commercial activity in the surrounding areas.

Under the plan, security positions have been established at several locations around the prison, including Dahgal, Gate No. 1, Gate No. 5, the pharmaceutical factory area and Gorakhpur. Additional police checkpoints have also been positioned around a private housing society and in the Chakri and Thallian areas, widening the security perimeter beyond the immediate entrances to the jail.

Police sources said a total of 435 personnel will be assigned to duties connected with the new arrangements. The deployment includes officers and personnel from riot-management units, district police, the Elite Force and the Dolphin Force. The mix of specialised and regular police units is intended to maintain a continuous security presence at the prison and along the approaches leading to it.

Supervision of the operation has been assigned to the SP Saddar and the officer in charge of the DSP Saddar office. Police checkpoints will be used to regulate movement and enforce the security measures. The report did not identify a specific new threat or incident that prompted the latest plan, and authorities had not announced a fixed date for lifting the restrictions.

The measures will also affect commercial activity along the stretch between Dahgal and Gorakhpur. According to the security plan, petrol stations, hotels, shops and rented rooms or similar establishments along the designated area are to be closed while the restrictions remain in force. The closures could have an immediate effect on residents, commuters and traders who rely on Adiala Road and surrounding commercial centres for daily travel and business.

Adiala Jail has repeatedly been placed under heightened security during periods of political activity and visits involving high-profile prisoners. Former prime minister and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf founder Imran Khan is detained at the facility, and previous attempts by PTI leaders and family members to meet him have brought political workers and additional police deployments to roads surrounding the prison. Earlier security operations have also involved temporary closures of markets and restrictions on traffic around Dahgal, Gorakhpur and jail access points.

The latest security measures come only days after PTI representatives seeking to meet the party founder were stopped from proceeding to the jail. On September 3, several party figures reached the area for a scheduled meeting but were unable to see Khan, while others were stopped at the Dahgal checkpoint before reaching the prison. Authorities did not publicly link that episode to Tuesday's new security plan.

For now, the expanded police deployment and restrictions will continue indefinitely under local security supervision. Any relaxation of checkpoints, reopening of businesses or changes to movement controls will depend on further instructions from the authorities. With Adiala Jail remaining a politically sensitive location, security conditions around the prison are expected to remain under close official monitoring.