ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Ministry of Finance has prepared a report estimating economic losses of Rs190 billion ($684 million) per day due to political protests, Federal Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb said on Sunday, as supporters of jailed former prime minister Imran Khan march toward Islamabad to demand his release.
The protest, led by Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party, has effectively cut off the federal capital from other cities, with authorities using shipping containers to seal all entry and exit points and announcing the closure of all educational institutions in Islamabad.
The disruption has also impacted small businesses, with slow Internet and telecom services further compounding the economic losses.
“Protests result in a daily loss of Rs190 billion,” the finance minister said in a statement circulated by his office, warning of repercussions for the national economy.
According to the ministry’s report, the GDP suffers a daily loss of Rs144 billion, accounting for the largest share of the economic impact. Additionally, a decline in exports results in a daily loss of Rs26 billion, while disruptions in foreign direct investment contribute Rs3 billion to the daily losses.
Losses in the IT and telecom sectors are significant but separate from these figures.
“The federal government’s daily loss is Rs190 billion, while provincial losses are even higher,” Aurangzeb noted, without providing detailed provincial breakdowns.
Khan, who has been incarcerated for over a year on charges he claims are politically motivated, has urged his followers to rally both in Pakistan and abroad.
PTI supporters in countries such as the United Kingdom, France, Sweden, Spain and Japan have also organized demonstrations, calling for the former prime minister’s release.
As tensions persist, the government remains firm in its resolve to maintain public order, with Finance Minister Aurangzeb stressing that the ongoing unrest is severely undermining the country’s economic recovery efforts.

ISLAMABAD/GHAZI BAROTHA: Sporadic clashes erupted near Islamabad on Sunday as jailed ex-premier Imran Khan’s supporters from nearby Rawalpindi tried to enter the capital in response to a protest call, while their party leaders criticized what they described as a government “crackdown” to block the demonstration.
Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has launched a “long march” to Islamabad, seeking the release of its founding leader after more than a year of his incarceration on charges it claims are politically motivated.
The party is also protesting alleged rigging in February’s general elections and raising concerns about judicial independence, which it says has been undermined by recent constitutional amendments, a claim the government denies.
Speaking to Arab News, Sayed Zulfikar Bukhari, a senior PTI leader and close aide to Khan, expressed dismay at the government’s response, saying his party only wanted to hold a peaceful protest.
“There is a heavy crackdown in Rawalpindi, as they [the law enforcement officials] have shot rubber bullets, teargas and also picked up people,” he said.
“We just want to do a peaceful protest,” he added. “We will continue [the demonstration] for days to come because we have the right to peaceful assembly and protest.”
Arab News reached out to police officials for comment but did not receive a response.
SECURITY MEASURES
Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi toured Islamabad, Rawalpindi and Attock by air on Sunday to review security arrangements, expressing satisfaction with the measures and reiterating that the government would take every step to maintain law and order in Islamabad.
“The government has made every possible effort to protect the lives and property of citizens,” Naqvi said, warning that “troublemakers will be dealt with strictly according to the law.”
He added that police, paramilitary Frontier Corps and Rangers were performing their duties with vigilance.
The government has described PTI’s protest as a “deliberate conspiracy” against the country’s “honor,” citing its timing as a 68-member Belarusian delegation arrived in Islamabad for bilateral economic talks.
President Aleksandr Lukashenko is scheduled to arrive in the federal capital on Monday, with officials characterizing the PTI march as an attempt to sabotage Pakistan’s economic recovery.
Naqvi underscored earlier in the day that no one would be allowed to disrupt public order in the federal capital during the visit.
PTI CARAVAN
Meanwhile, the PTI convoy led by Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur left Peshawar around 1:30 p.m. and reached Swabi in the evening, where it was joined by protesters from across the province.
The caravan then proceeded to Ghazi Barotha near Punjab, where it expects resistance from federal authorities.
Hajji Fazal Elahi, a PTI provincial lawmaker, told Arab News the party workers were determined to reach D-Chowk, the protest venue in Islamabad.
“There are hurdles as the government has placed barriers in different places. We will try our best to remove them, but if we don’t succeed, we’ll spend the night here,” he said, referring to Ghazi Barotha.
“We will go to D-Chowk and cross all the barriers, even if it takes a day or two,” he added.
Elahi also acknowledged challenges due to “insufficient machinery” for clearing blockades, adding that the group was prepared to camp at their current location if necessary.
PTI leaders remain defiant, with Gandapur vowing to reach the federal capital “at any cost.”
The party has hinted at an indefinite sit-in in Islamabad, pledging not to return until their demands are met by the government.