During the previous five years, the Pakistani government has spent more than Rs1.35 billion on handling and avoiding protests in Islamabad’s Red Zone, expenses on protest are released by the Interior Ministry recently. This very secure area, where you can find important public authorities and diplomatic missions, was where a lot of political and social protests took place, thus, it had to be equipped with the most appropriate measures. However, the money that was spent on each issue was always inversely proportional to the sacrifices of defense servers.

Expenses On Protest: Annual Expenditures Breakdown

The expenses on protest allocation for the Red Zone have witnessed considerable variations:

2020-21:  Almost Rs96.1 million

2021-22: Approximately Rs277.9 million

2022-23: A rapid jump to Rs724.4 million

The fiscal year of 2022-23 had the biggest amount of cost, and biggest expenses on protest, primarily because of the demonstrations and sit-ins in the capital. Minister of State for Interior, Senator Talal Chaudhry, highlighted that these increased costs were due to the frequency and volume of the demonstrations during the rallies.

Notable Incidents

Many important incidents are what made the expenses of security so high:

2017 Faizabad Sit-in:

This protest, which was composed by Khadim Hussain Rizvi, did nothing except that he made the demand for the departure of the Law Minister who reportedly made changes which were in favor of Ahmadis in the election bill. The sit-in was the root of disturbance to the capital of Islamabad and the sister city of Rawalpindi.

2024 PTI Protests:

After many angry supporters of the EX Prime Minister Imran Khan had dismissed Parliament, police had to interfere in their fight with law as they demanded for the release of their leader and other party members. The government repealed it by deploying security forces, making road barriers and turning off the internet to delay the Program.