- Ministry pens letter to chief secretary, asking him to ensure KP government ‘does not utilise state machinery and resources’
- Section 144 imposed in Rawalpindi till Nov 26 due to ‘fear of terrorism’: notification
ISLAMABAD: The interior ministry on Thursday penned a letter to the KP chief secretary, asking him to ensure that state machinery, equipment or finances are not used for PTI’s power show.
The interior ministry’s letter addressed to KP Chief Secretary Nadeem Aslam Chaudhry, stating “Protest call on November 24” as its subject, specifying the PTI as the organiser later.
It asked Chaudhry to ensure that the KP government “does not utilise state machinery, equipment, officials or finances for political protest by the political party”.
The interior ministry’s directives come a day after the government approved the deployment of both Pakistan Rangers and Frontier Constabulary (FC) personnel in Islamabad from November 22 onwards to “handle” the law and order situation, ahead of the planned power show.
The notification said the exact number of personnel and the date and area of their deployment would be “worked out in consultation with concerned stakeholders”. Similarly, the date of de-requisitioning would be decided after mutually consulting all relevant stakeholders.
Separately, PTV posted a circular from the Peshawar police on its X account that said that any KP police officers posted for security duties along with political representatives would not participate in any procession.
“The policemen who are posted with the political representatives as gunners and are performing duties with them should be warned that they will not participate in any procession or political gathering outside Peshawar and neither will they go with the representatives. In case of violation, strict departmental action will be taken against the concerned officials,” the circular warned.
The federal and Punjab governments have decided to take strict measures to deal with the PTI’s call. The police have been placed on “high alert” throughout Punjab while Section 144 has been extended in the federal capital for two more months, in addition to heavy security arrangements.
The government’s concerns about the usage of state machinery emerged when last month, around two dozen KP cops were among 1,000 PTI supporters arrested by the Rawalpindi and Islamabad police during the PTI’s October 5 D-Chowk protest.
Following a simultaneous protest in Punjab, the Attock police had also arrested as many as 11 KP policemen who were participating in the PTI’s march.
Section 144 imposed in Rawalpindi till Nov 26
Separately, it emerged today that Section 144 has been imposed in Rawalpindi till Nov 26 due to “the fear of terrorism”, according to a notification issued by the Rawalpindi deputy commissioner’s (DC) office, dated Wednesday.
Section 144 is a legal provision that empowers district administrations to prohibit an assembly of four or more people in an area for a limited period.
The notification, a copy of which is available with Dawn.com, cites “specific intelligence suggesting that certain groups and elements are actively mobilising with intentions to disturb the and order situation through large gatherings, protests and disruptive assemblies”.
An emergency meeting of the District Intelligence Committee chaired by Deputy Commissioner Hassan Waqar Cheema was held on Wednesday, according to the notification, adding that the meeting held that there was “an imminent threat” within the limits of Rawalpindi district, particularly surrounding sensitive installations, including Adiala Jail, that could pose a threat to human life, public property and overall peace and order.
The notification banned all kinds of assemblies, gatherings, sit-ins, rallies, processions, demonstrations, protests and other such activities, excluding religious gatherings.
The carrying of weapons, spikes, laden batons, ball bearings, petrol bombs, improvised explosives or any other instrument that could potentially be used for violence was also banned.
It also prohibited any attempt to remove any restriction imposed by a police office to regulate the assembly of persons or movement of traffic.
The notification said the order would remain in place for seven days from Nov 20- 26.
Law enforcement agencies have planned to “lay a virtual siege” to the garrison city by sealing it from 50 points to prevent PTI workers from entering the federal capital territory on November 24.
Rangers requested in three districts of Punjab
Separately, the Punjab Home Department requested the deployment of Pakistan Rangers (Punjab) personnel in Rawalpindi, Attock and Jhelum districts, according to a notification issued today.
The department requested one to two wings of Rangers in Rawalpindi and Attock from Friday till the date of de-requisition and one company deployed to Jhelum from Friday to Wednesday.
The Punjab Home Department’s spokesperson said the decision was taken on the recommendation of the district administration.
