Overview
- Islamabad kept the Red Zone sealed and widened its perimeter Saturday as US Vice President JD Vance arrived for talks with the Iranian delegation.
- Police closed key arteries and barred public transport on major routes, with diversions on the Islamabad Expressway and Srinagar Highway and closures on Club Road, Jinnah Avenue, Margalla Road, and Shakarparian Road.
- Rawalpindi tightened controls around Nur Khan Airbase in Chaklala, sealing roads with containers and barbed wire, enforcing Section 144 limits on rooftop access and kite or pigeon flying, and shutting wedding halls.
- Security forces from the army, Rangers, Frontier Constabulary, and multiple police units expanded to more than 16,000 personnel in the capital, with some reports putting the total above 18,000, as an Interior Ministry control room directed operations.
- Schools, offices, markets, fuel stations, and metro and green buses were shut under a local holiday through Saturday, residents reported shortages and long walks to reach essentials, and officials said restrictions would continue through Sunday with normal activity expected from April 13.