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    "parsed_content": "Islamabad dispatchA Tetris-Like Maze Blocks Protests in Pakistan\u2019s CapitalPakistani authorities have barricaded Islamabad with more than 1,500 shipping containers to stop opposition protesters, choking off access to the capital.A line of shipping containers blocks a road leading toward the high-security Red Zone in Islamabad, Pakistan, on Wednesday.Skip to contentSkip to site indexSearch & Section NavigationSection NavigationAccountAccountGoHome U.S.SECTIONSU.S.PoliticsNew YorkCaliforniaEducationHealthObituariesScienceClimateWeatherSportsBusinessTechThe UpshotThe MagazineTOP STORIESDonald TrumpSupreme CourtCongressImmigrationAbortionLatest PollsNEWSLETTERSThe MorningMake sense of the day\u2019s news and ideas.The EveningCatch up on big news, and wind down to end your day.See all newslettersPODCASTSThe DailyThe biggest stories of our time, in 20 minutes a day.See all podcastsWorldSECTIONSWorldAfricaAmericasAsiaAustraliaCanadaEuropeMiddle EastScienceClimateWeatherHealthObituariesTOP STORIESMiddle East CrisisRussia-Ukraine WarChina International RelationsThe Global ProfileLeer en Espa\u00f1olNEWSLETTERSThe WorldA guide to understanding the news, made for readers around the globe.Your Places: Global UpdateThe latest news for any part of the world you select.Canada LetterBackstories and analysis from our Canadian correspondents.See all newslettersBusinessSECTIONSBusinessTechEconomyMediaFinance and MarketsDealBookPersonal TechEnergy TransitionYour MoneyTOP STORIESU.S. EconomyStock MarketArtificial IntelligenceNEWSLETTERSDealBookThe most crucial business and policy news you need to know.On TechOur best tech reporting from the week.See all newslettersPODCASTSHard ForkOur tech journalists help you make sense of the rapidly changing tech world.See all podcastsArtsSECTIONSToday's ArtsBook ReviewBest SellersDanceMoviesMusicTelevisionTheaterPop CultureT MagazineVisual ArtsRECOMMENDATIONS100 Best Movies of the 21st CenturyCritic\u2019s PicksWhat to ReadWhat to WatchWhat to Listen To5 Minutes to Make You Love MusicNEWSLETTERSBooksReviews, news and features to help you find your next read.WatchingStreaming TV and movie recommendations.See all newslettersPODCASTSBook ReviewThe podcast that takes you inside the literary world.PopcastPop music news, new songs and albums, and artists of note.See all podcastsLifestyleSECTIONSAll LifestyleWellTravelStyleReal EstateFoodLoveYour MoneyPersonal TechT MagazineCOLUMNS36 HoursAsk WellThe HuntModern LoveWhere to EatVowsSocial Q\u2019sThe EthicistAsk the TherapistNEWSLETTERSThe WeekenderUnwind with stories about culture and the way we live.WellEssential news and guidance to live your healthiest life.See all newslettersPODCASTSModern LoveThe complicated love lives of real people.See all podcastsOpinionSECTIONSOpinionGuest EssaysEditorialsOp-DocsVideosLettersTOPICSPoliticsWorldBusinessTechClimateHealthCultureCOLUMNISTSJamelle BouieMaureen DowdDavid FrenchThomas L. 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Win ProjectionsNEWSLETTERSThe PulseDelivering the top stories in sports, Sunday to Friday.See all newslettersPLAYConnections: Sports Edition Connections: Soccer Edition Connections Coach U.S.InternationalCanadaEspa\u00f1ol\u4e2d\u6587Islamabad dispatchA Tetris-Like Maze Blocks Protests in Pakistan\u2019s CapitalPakistani authorities have barricaded Islamabad with more than 1,500 shipping containers to stop opposition protesters, choking off access to the capital.A line of shipping containers blocks a road leading toward the high-security Red Zone in Islamabad, Pakistan, on Wednesday.Credit...Supported bySKIP ADVERTISEMENTListen \u00b7 3:40 min Share full articleBy Elian Peltier and Zia ur-RehmanVisuals by Asim HafeezReporting from Islamabad, PakistanSept. 26, 2026A wall of steel. Citywide Tetris. \u201cContaineristan.\u201dThis is what Pakistan\u2019s capital, Islamabad, looks like these days after the police sealed off the city with more than 1,500 shipping containers ahead of a protest planned by the main opposition party.Two rows of colorful containers snake along the road leading to the prime minister\u2019s house and Parliament, pushing the representatives of the Pakistani people out of sight and out of reach.Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, the opposition party, had called on its supporters to march peacefully on Islamabad to demand the release of its leader, the former cricket star and prime minister Imran Khan. He has been imprisoned since 2023 on corruption charges that he and his party describe as politically motivated.AdvertisementSKIP ADVERTISEMENTBut on Friday, party officials said they would postpone the march, which had been scheduled for Sunday, until Oct. 4. They said they hoped a delay would work in their favor: Either the government would unblock the streets by then, or the containers\u2019 continued presence would further increase public anger against the government. On Friday afternoon, construction vehicles were still moving containers in and around the city, and they remained in place as of Friday evening.ImagePakistan\u2019s main opposition party had called on its supporters to march peacefully on Islamabad, the capital. But shipping containers now block most of the city\u2019s main avenues.ImageThe practice of using shipping containers has become so routine that people in Islamabad sometimes call the city \u201cContaineristan.\u201dThe government has not yet said how long it will keep Islamabad in a state of quasi lockdown. But the containers have so far been the most visible sign of the government\u2019s effort to quell widespread discontent over the repression of dissent and the crackdown on Mr. Khan\u2019s party.\n \n \n \nThe map locates Islamabad, the capital of Pakistan, and the city of Lahore in the Punjab province on the eastern coast.\nKabul\nIslamabad\nAFGHANISTAN\nLahore\nPUNJAB\nPAKISTAN\nINDIA\nKarachi\nArabian Sea\n200 miles\n \n The New York TimesThis week, three of Mr. Khan\u2019s sisters and some senior party members were arrested on charges of threatening \u201cpublic safety and maintenance of public order.\u201dThe government has also declared any protest unlawful until the end of the month. It has deployed thousands of extra security personnel, provided the police with \u201cnet launchers\u201d to catch protesters in mesh nets, and ordered hospital staff to remain on high alert ahead of a potential \u201cmass casualty surge,\u201d according to a document sent to hospitals and seen by The New York Times.The use of containers to block access to Islamabad goes back at least three decades. During protests in 2014, Mr. Khan turned a container into an impromptu refuge and stage. In April, the government used them to secure Islamabad when Vice President JD Vance and an Iranian delegation held talks in the city.The practice has become so routine that an Islamabad judge described the capital in 2024 as a \u201ccontainer city.\u201d Residents sometimes call it \u201cContaineristan.\u201dAdvertisementSKIP ADVERTISEMENT\u201cContainers symbolize trade and progress,\u201d said Naveed Iftikhar, an urban economist based in Islamabad. \u201cHere in Pakistan they symbolize chaos and restrictions.\u201dImageThe police have either rented the containers from freight companies or seized them randomly from truck drivers trying to deliver their cargo. ImageThe container blockades have disrupted traffic and commerce throughout Pakistan\u2019s capital.This week\u2019s array of containers appears to be among the most robust ever deployed in the city. The police stacked containers and welded them together to prevent demonstrators from displacing or climbing over them.The police have rented some containers from freight companies and seized others randomly, even as drivers were transporting cargo. After the confiscation of trucks carrying medicine caused a public uproar last week, the interior minister ordered them to be released. It remains unclear when other drivers will get their seized containers back.Zubair Niazi was driving his truck to Lahore, where he was supposed to pick up milk for delivery to Islamabad, when the police stopped him and ordered him to surrender his container, he said.Working-class Pakistanis are the base of Mr. Khan\u2019s party, and Mr. Niazi described himself as a supporter. He said police officers told him he would receive a call when he could retrieve his confiscated container, but he was not given any date, nor any financial compensation.Malik Sher Khan, the president of a truck owners\u2019 lobbying group, said the arbitrary confiscation of containers had disrupted the freight industry across the country.AdvertisementSKIP ADVERTISEMENT\u201cNo one is ready to enter Punjab or bring goods to Islamabad,\u201d Mr. Khan said. Punjab, Pakistan\u2019s richest province, borders the capital.ImagePakistan\u2019s government has not yet said how long it will keep Islamabad in a state of quasi lockdown.ImageThe stacks of containers have become a visible sign of the Pakistani government\u2019s effort to quell dissent.The government has framed the move as a necessary precaution to stop what it says would be a violent protest. \u201cThey will hurt themselves, and they will hurt the people,\u201d the interior minister, Mohsin Naqvi, said earlier this week of the protesters. \u201cThey should not go into a situation from which there is no way back,\u201d he added.Officials from Mr. Khan\u2019s party have repeatedly said the march would be peaceful.A group of eight drivers, their traditional shalwar kameez outfits faded by sun and sweat, sipped tea under the shade of a tree last week as they waited for the police to release their requisitioned containers.Another driver stopped by with a question.\u201cWhere is the Serena?\u201d he asked, referring to one of Islamabad\u2019s elite hotels.He said his container had been sent to form a barricade there, so he was on his way to try to get it back.ImageA truck driver rests after offloading a shipping container along a road on the outskirts of Islamabad on Thursday.Salman Masood contributed reporting.AdvertisementSKIP ADVERTISEMENT",
    "published_at": "2026-09-26T04:01:12+00:00",
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