Red Zone closed to traffic
Islamabad’s Red Zone and its extended perimeter were closed to all traffic on Sunday 19 April 2026, police said, as the capital prepared to welcome foreign delegations for a possible second round of talks between the United States and Iran.
“Due to the arrival of foreign delegations in Islamabad, Red Zone and Extended Red Zone will remain completely closed for all kinds of traffic,” Islamabad police said in a statement, adding that alternate routes had been designated for residents until further orders.
The Red Zone houses Parliament, the Supreme Court, the prime minister’s office and most foreign embassies.
Transport suspended and work-from-home ordered
The Islamabad deputy commissioner, Irfan Nawaz Memon, ordered an immediate suspension of all public and heavy transport, and the Rawalpindi district administration halted private, public and goods vehicles from noon until further orders.
The Cabinet Division directed ministries, divisions and other federal establishments in the Red Zone to adopt work-from-home arrangements on 20 April, while a notification by the Islamabad district magistrate suspended entry into the Red Zone that day and let public and private offices and schools in the area work from home. Trails near Saidpur village were also closed from 20 April.
The Federal Constitutional Court said no judicial work would be conducted at its principal Islamabad seat on 20 April because of the Red Zone closure, and cancelled its cause list for that day.
Thousands of police deployed
More than 10,000 police personnel were deployed in Rawalpindi, where over 600 pickets monitored entry and exit points. About 2,800 police, including 130 snipers, were assigned to routes in the capital, and some 400 commandos, among them 100 snipers, were deployed for arrivals and departures at the Nur Khan Airbase, sources said.
Advance teams for the visiting delegations began landing at the airbase on Sunday. Hotels, hostels and guest houses in the capital were asked to close their premises until further orders.
The measures followed the first round of historic direct US-Iran talks in Islamabad on 11-12 April, which ended without an agreement but without a breakdown, as reported in the account of those talks.
Sources & reporting notes
This is a summary of published material, not eyewitness reporting. Sources were reviewed on 2026-04-19.
- Dawn — Security beefed up as Islamabad prepares for foreign delegations' arrival amid anticipation of US-Iran talksPublished 19 April 2026 · Primary: the Red Zone closure, transport suspension, work-from-home orders for 20 April, the Federal Constitutional Court notification and police deployment figures.
- The News — Public, heavy transport suspended in Islamabad, Pindi with immediate effectPublished 19 April 2026 · Confirms the transport suspension orders and the deployment of more than 10,000 police in Rawalpindi.
