ISLAMABAD: The Punjab government announced on Thursday it had banned public gatherings for six days in the eastern city of Lahore “to maintain law and order” ahead of a planned protest by the party of former prime minister Imran Khan.
The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party plans to hold a protest in Lahore on Saturday against proposed constitutional amendments the PTI says are meant to curtail the independence of the judiciary, a charge the ruling coalition of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif denies. The PTI is also trying to mobilize the public through large public gatherings to put pressure for the release of Khan, who has been in prison since August last year and faces a slew of legal challenges.
The ban on rallies in Punjab was imposed using Section 144 of the code of criminal procedure, which allows gatherings of more than four people to be outlawed on account of security threats. Earlier this week, the Punjab government also imposed the provision in Bahawalpur, Faisalabad and Mianwali cities ahead of demonstrations by the PTI on Wednesday. The PTI says the federal and provincial governments are using the 144 legal provision to suppress the party’s constitutional right to protest and to block the growing popularity of a party that has a track record of attracting sometimes hundreds of thousands of people to demonstrations and rallies.
“The Punjab government has imposed Section 144 in Lahore for six days from today to Tuesday,” state broadcaster Radio Pakistan reported, adding that all political gatherings, sit-ins, rallies, demonstrations, protests and similar activities were outlawed.
“The decision was made to maintain law and order and to protect human lives and property.”
The PTI is also scheduled to hold a demonstration at the Democracy Chowk (D-Chowk) in Pakistan’s capital on Friday, following up on a number of protests and rallies in recent weeks.
The garrison city of Rawalpindi, bordering the federal capital of Islamabad, remained tense last Saturday as police fired tear gas shells to disperse hundreds of Khan supporters ahead of a protest in the city to demand the release of Khan, who has been in jail since August last year on multiple charges that he says are politically motivated to keep him and his party out of politics.
After a PTI rally in Islamabad on Sept. 8, over a dozen legislators from the party were arrested on charges of violating an agreement based on which permission for the gathering was issued, including abiding by a time limit and supporters sticking to certain routes to reach the designated venue for the rally on Islamabad’s outskirts.
Khan’s party says the challenges in holding rallies are part of an over-year-long crackdown it has faced since protesters allegedly linked to the party attacked and damaged government and military installations on May 9, 2023, after the former premier’s brief arrest the same day in a land graft case.
Hundreds of PTI followers and leaders were arrested following the riots and many remain behind bars as they await trial. The military, which says Khan and his party were behind the attacks, has also initiated army court trials of at least 103 people accused of involvement in the violence.
Khan, who has been in jail since last August, was ousted from the PM’s office in 2022 in a parliamentary vote of no confidence after what is widely believed to be a falling out with Pakistan’s powerful military, which denies being involved in politics.
