ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad administration imposed Section 144 in the capital territory for two months on Monday, just days before the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) is set to hold its highly anticipated power show on November 24.
Section 144 is a legal provision that allows district administrations to ban gatherings of four or more people for a specific period. Last week, several senior PTI leaders were detained outside the Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi for breaching Section 144 but were quickly released after a warning from police.
Meanwhile, PTI founder and former Prime Minister Imran Khan issued a “final call” for nationwide protests on November 24. He condemned what he called the “stolen mandate,” the unjust arrests of PTI supporters, and the passage of the 26th amendment, which he argued bolstered a “dictatorial regime”.
Khan described the protests as a critical test for the PTI and urged the country’s legal community, civil society, and international supporters to actively participate.
In a series of notifications issued by Islamabad District Magistrate Usman Ashraf, Section 144 was enforced due to concerns that certain groups were planning “unlawful assemblies” that could disturb public peace.
The notifications outlined that public gatherings of five or more people were prohibited in the capital. These events, it was stated, could “threaten public peace and tranquility, cause public nuisance or harm, endanger human safety, jeopardize public property, or provoke riots or sectarian violence within the territorial limits of Islamabad.”
The order also prohibits the use of loudspeakers or sound systems for “objectionable or sectarian speeches,” as well as the distribution of pamphlets or the display of posters that might incite unrest. Additionally, the use of fireworks and the display of firearms, except by law enforcement agencies, are banned.
In response, PTI leader Taimur Saleem Khan Jhagra criticized the Section 144 imposition, calling it “malafide and illegal” if it was applied every time Imran Khan called for a “peaceful protest”.
Meanwhile, PTI Sindh President Haleem Adil Sheikh visited seven districts and met with members of the Karachi Bar Association, encouraging them to join the protest march.
According to a press release from PTI’s Sindh media cell, Sheikh praised the Karachi Bar Association for its historic role in defending the judiciary and opposing the 26th constitutional amendment.
He also criticized the government for undermining judicial independence through the amendment, warning that if the judiciary fails to deliver justice, the country risks falling into anarchy.
