ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) has ordered the government to restore normalcy in the city and designate a location for PTI to hold its protest.

In a petition filed with the IHC, the capital city`s traders lamented that life has come to a halt in Islamabad, where mobile phone services have been suspended and roads are blocked.

While hearing the petition on Sunday, IHC Chief Justice Aamer Farooq said he also had to `pass through containers` to get to the court. He then summoned the interior secretary and asked him why roads had been blocked.

The secretary explained that the Malaysian prime minister was in Islamabad and a Saudi delegation is expected to arrive in a few days.

The court was also told that PTI workers `have made inroads and are marching towards the Red Zone` to hold a protest at D-Chowk,according to a three-page order released afterthe hearing.

The federal government has called in the army `to ensure peace and law and order` and Section 144 has been imposed to ban all gatherings,the order stated.

During the hearing, the IHC chief justice remarked that no one has the right to block roads. `You should provide them a suitable place to protest,` he told the interior secretary.

`It seems like a curfew is in place in the city, and you must take steps to bring things back to normal. It is your responsibility to ensure that Islamabad remains a peaceful city,` the IHC CJ said, questioning what impression the blocked capital city would leave on foreign delegations. He ordered the federal government and local administration to ensure that PTI`s protest was held at the designated place.-Malik Asad