Punjab govt imposes Section 144 in Faisalabad, Bahawalpur, Mianwali ahead of planned PTI protests
The Punjab government on Tuesday imposed Section 144(6) in Faisalabad, Bahawalpur and Mianwali, prohibiting all forms of public gathering as PTI prepared for a rally in the southern Punjab district.
PTI has carried out multiple rallies across the country, protesting against the “illegal” imprisonment of the party founder, ECP’s delay in following the Supreme Court verdict on the reserved seats and “save the constitution”.
Each time, the government has issued a set of strict guidelines ahead of the rallies, sparking clashes between PTI workers and the authorities.
Incarcerated PTI founder Imran Khan gave a fresh call for countrywide protests yesterday for the “independence of [the] judiciary”, including a demonstration in Islamabad where all such gatherings are banned.
As per the PTI founder’s announcement, the party will hold protests in Mianwali, Faisalabad, and Bahawalpur tomorrow.
Separately, PTI Central Information Secretary Sheikh Waqas Akram announced a “large protests in Multan, Mianwali and Faisalabad on October 2”.
“It is your duty to come out,” Waqas said.
According to separate notifications issued by the Punjab interior ministry today for Mianwali, Faisalabad and Bahawalpur, PTI’s rallies planned for tomorrow could be exploited by “terrorists” who could take advantage and “carry out subversive activities as [a] number of threat alerts have been received”.
The notifications, the copies of which are available with Dawn.com, claimed the prevailing law and order situation in the country provided a “soft target” to the miscreants posing a “serious security threat”.
They said that there were sufficient grounds to proceed under Section 144 to prevent disturbance of public peace, the safety of lives and property of the public and tranquillity in the districts.
The notification for Faisalabad and Bahawalpur prohibited “all kinds of political assemblies, gatherings, sits-in, rallies, demonstrations, jalsas, protests and such other activities” for two days whereas the same was imposed in the Mianwali district for seven days.
PTI rallies
PTI has held multiple political gatherings in Punjab and the capital that have been marred by interference from law enforcement agencies under the guise of civil disobedience.
Ten PTI MNAs were arrested under the Anti-Terrorism Act and the newly imposed Peaceful Assembly and Public Order Act 2024, last month, a day after the PTI held its Sangjani power show.
Meanwhile, the party’s Lahore power show met an anti-climactic end as lights went out and police personnel cleared the stage after the 6pm deadline expired following some speeches from leaders to supporters at Kahna in the provincial capital’s Ring Road area on September 21.
Rawalpindi remained ‘under virtual siege’ on Saturday, with containers placed on every route leading to a PTI’s planned protest site in Liaquat Bagh.
Punjab police arrested over 110 supporters, including party leaders, after clashes while the smell of teargas used to disperse the protesters permeated the air.
The government had imposed a ban on all public gatherings and stationed paramilitary forces in Rawalpindi.