Punjab govt declares Section 144 in Faisalabad, Bahawalpur, and Mianwali before PTI rally

The Punjab government had on Tuesday imposed Section 144 (6) in Faisalabad, Bahawalpur, and Mianwali, banning all public gatherings before the scheduled rally by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf in southern Punjab.

PTI has been holding rallies in different parts of the country against the “illegal” confinement of its founder, the delay by the ECP in forming a reserved seats commission as ordered by the apex court, and the call for a constitution.

Strict orders by the government before the rallies resulted in clashes between PTI supporters and the authorities. PTI founder Imran Khan was recently incarcerated but has renewed his campaign to call for mass protests throughout the country demanding the “freedom of the judiciary,” including holding a rally in Islamabad, which currently prohibits gatherings of all kinds.

Khan, in a tweet announcing the sit-ins, scheduled them for the day in Mianwali, Faisalabad and Bahawalpur. PTI Central Information Secretary Sheikh Waqas Akram also sought “large protests in Multan, Mianwali and Faisalabad on October 2,” he asked the supporters to join in.

Punjabi interior ministry notices say the scheduled PTI rallies would give opportunity to “terrorists” who wanted to indulge in subversive acts, going by the multiple threat alerts. It claimed that the current law and order situation is a “soft target” of prospective miscreants.

Keeping in view the public peace and safety, the government needed to invoke Section 144. The two-day ban was implemented in Faisalabad and Bahawalpur, prohibiting “all kinds of political assemblies, gatherings, sits-in, rallies, demonstrations, jalsas, protests, and such other activities”, while the restriction is to remain in Mianwali for seven days.

PTI has had to endure strong police interference on multiple occasions, including the arrest last month of ten party MNAs under the Anti-Terrorism Act and the newly enacted Peaceful Assembly and Public Order Act 2024. PTI’s Lahore rally was cut short last week, while Rawalpindi witnessed unprecedented security measures, such as containers placed at protest sites to restrict entry. More than 110 supporters of the opposition have been reportedly arrested due to confrontations with police, who used tear gas to scatter the crowds.