Overview
- Authorities in Islamabad and Rawalpindi declared local holidays for Thursday and Friday, closed most government offices and schools, and restricted access to the capital’s Red Zone to safeguard the talks.
- Police issued a citywide traffic plan that diverts major routes, bans heavy vehicles from entering Islamabad, and blocks roads around the main hotel selected for the delegations.
- Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi told US Ambassador Natalie Baker on Thursday that security is “foolproof” for negotiations expected to include US Vice President JD Vance with Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff, and Iranian leaders Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf and Abbas Araghchi.
- Rawalpindi kept a ban on public assemblies under Section 144, denied PTI permission for a Liaquat Bagh rally, and the party postponed its April 9 event, while an anti‑terrorism court remanded 41 PTI workers tied to unrest near Adiala Jail.
- Hotels were requisitioned to house the delegations, Margalla Hills hiking trails closed for two days, and exams near the Red Zone were postponed, changes that disrupt daily life but concentrate resources on hosting the negotiations.