Traders and schools brace for disruptions as PTI march threatens Rawalpindi roads

The collapse of dialogue between the federal government and the opposition PTI has raised concerns that protest rallies could seal off key routes into Rawalpindi, affecting daily commerce and commuting. In response, Arid Agriculture University Rawalpindi will conduct Monday's classes online and will reassess the feasibility of on-campus sessions after the situation stabilises. Private schools along Murree Road and 6th Road fear forced closures, though the District Education Authority reports no official shutdown order and notes that some grades continued classes after a prior closure.

Traders, whose markets serve the twin cities and surrounding regions, have appealed to both sides to end the political standoff, warning that repeated roadblocks threaten their livelihoods amid already tight consumer purchasing power. Police deployment for the PTI march includes over 43,200 officers across Attock, Rawalpindi, Jhelum, Murree and Chakwal, with several schools and a college repurposed to house forces, disrupting local water supplies.