The Home Ministry has enacted Section 144 in five Punjab districts for three days to prohibit all political gatherings, sit-ins, and rallies, including Dera Ghazi Khan, Layyah, Muzzafargarh, Rajanpur, and Kot Addu.
The ban, effective immediately, will continue until October 15 to bolster security, as public gatherings have become vulnerable to disruptions by miscreants.
This measure coincides with Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) announcement of a planned protest at Islamabad’s D-Chowk on October 15, which coincides with the opening of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit.
Following a meeting of PTI’s political committee, Sheikh Waqas Akram, the party’s central information secretary, declared on social media platform X that a significant protest would occur on October 15 at D-Chowk in Islamabad. He also mentioned that PTI had cancelled its protests in Punjab and called for releasing detained PTI workers, leaders, and MPAs in the region.
PTI has called for an end to what it terms ‘unlawful’ raids and arrests by the federal and Punjab governments. Akram highlighted concerns over the PTI chairman’s safety, claiming that government actions have deprived him of basic human rights. He accused the government of oppression and violence, emphasizing that PTI will persist in its efforts despite these challenges.
