Daily Times

The Punjab government on Friday imposed Section 144 in Rawalpindi for two days, banning public gatherings, ahead of a PTI rally scheduled in the city on the weekend.

Section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure is a legal provision that empowers district administrations to prohibit an assembly of four or more people in an area for a limited period. It is usually imposed to prevent potential disturbances, maintain law and order, and curb any activities that might escalate into violence.

On September 23, PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan informed at a press conference that the party would hold a rally in Rawalpindi on September 28. He said that his party had applied for a no-objection certificate (NOC) and requested that the Punjab government grant it.

However, PTI founder Imran Khan on Thursday announced that his party would not hold a rally in Rawalpindi on September 28, stating that the decision was made due to an apprehension that the government would not allow his party to hold the event in the city and designate a location in the suburbs as the venue.

He said that instead of a rally, the party would stage protests and PTI lawyers would hold a demonstration outside the Supreme Court.

A notification issued by the Punjab Home Department dated September 27 mentioned that a political party had planned a demonstration for September 28 and warned that “miscreants” and “mischief mongers can take advantage of the… protest to carry out subversive/anti-state activities… to fulfil their nefarious designs”.

It stated that Section 144 (6) had been imposed in Rawalpindi, Jhelum, Chakwal, and Attock “to maintain law and order situation” and “ensure [the] security of the people and installations/buildings against any potential threat or untoward activity”.

The notification stated that the district administrations prohibited “all kinds of political assemblies, gatherings, sits-in, rallies, demonstrations, jalsas, protests and such like other activities” on September 28 and 29 and also banned the carrying of any weapons in Rawalpindi, Jhelum, Chakal and Attock districts.

Opposition Leader in the National Assembly Omar Ayub Khan uploaded a video message to X urging people to gather at Rawalpindi’s Liaquat Bagh on Saturday.

“I urge you all to come out in great numbers to Liaquat Bagh at 2pm,” he said. “We will have a gathering, it is our legal and constitutional right.”

The PTI’s last rally in Lahore seemingly 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.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur and Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly Omar Ayub had not arrived at the venue by the time of the deadline’s expiry.

On September 8, PTI held a major rally in Sangjani, on the outskirts of Islamabad but as the rally could not finish within the designated time frame, the police had to forcibly disperse the crowd, leading to clashes between PTI supporters and officials.

The next day, law enforcement agencies swooped in on the party’s top brass, whisking away at least three key leaders from different parts of the city, while forcing others to take shelter in the Parliament House. However, on September 12, 10 PTI MNAs were presented in the National Assembly after their production orders were issued.