The Punjab Home Department has called in Rangers force to deal with the Tehreek-i-Labbaik Pakistan’s (TLP) long march currently anchored at Sara-i-Alamgir near Jhelum bridge, reported 24NewsHD TV channel.
The Home Department on Thursday dispatched the Rangers personnel to Jhelum and ordered it to deal with the TLP long marchers.
The paramilitary force will work to block the further movement of the TLP long march.
On Wednesday, the authorities dug up trenches on both sides of the main GT Road near Jhelum bridge in Sara-i-Alamgir in an attempt to block the long march participants who were heading to Islamabad from Lahore.
The traffic between Lahore and Islamabad along the GT Road has gone out of gear after heavy containers were parked on the bridges of Jhelum River as well as the bridges over Upper Jhelum canal right at the entrance to Sara-i-Alamgir from Lahore side.
The digging for trenches with the heavy machinery have also damaged the telephone and internet services in the adjoining areas as nearly 2,800 landlines have reportedly been disconnected.
The TLP long march being led by its chief Saad Rizvi had left Lahore on Friday last and reached Gujrat late on Tuesday night where the leadership held a public gathering at GTS Chowk.
The TLP had launched the long march on the federal capital in support of its demands for reduction in the prices of petroleum products, electricity, gas and daily-use items.
The participants resumed their journey on Wednesday afternoon and reached Kharian city after being given a rousing reception at Lalamusa.
However, reports said the government officials had engaged the TLP leadership in talks to convince them to call off the march in the wake of current political and security situation.
Earlier in November 2021, such trenches had been dug up on both sides of the bridges of Chenab and Jhelum rivers within the limits of Gujrat district as the participants of TLP march had stayed for many days in Wazirabad before the negotiations between the TLP and the then PTI government succeeded.