By Staff Reporter
ISLAMABAD: The provincial Punjab government has banned public gatherings of more than four people for a week from Wednesday, hours before former Prime Minister Imran Khan’s party was scheduled to organise an election rally in the eastern city of Lahore.
The provincial Home Department said the ban was imposed on “holding all kinds of assemblies, gatherings, sit-ins, rallies, processions, demonstrations, protests and such like other activities across the district Lahore to avert any untoward incident”.
The prohibition — imposed under Section 144 (temporary orders in urgent cases of nuisance or apprehended danger) of the Code of Criminal Procedure — is to be in effect immediately.
Khan’s Pakistan Tahreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party was scheduled to hold a rally in the city to kick off its campaign for the Punjab provincial assembly election.
Witnesses said police have used water cannons and tear gas and started to arrest PTI’s workers who took to the streets for violating Section 144. All roads leading to PTI Chairman Imran Khan’s Zaman Park residence had been cordoned off.
Khan called the provincial government order the “law of the jungle”.
“Under what law” is Punjab’s caretaker government using “massive police violence against unarmed workers to stop our planned rally”, Khan tweeted.
“The only job of caretakers is to ensure fair and free elections. What they are doing is an assault on the rule of law, our constitution and democracy.”
Senior PTI leader Fawad Chaudhry tweeted that the ban on protests was “the new weapon of the fascist government” of Prime Minister Sharif and its “imperialist forces”. “The people of Pakistan have always fought for their rights.”
The party’s official Twitter account also shared footage of police actions against Khan’s supporters.
The coalition government of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, however, supported the provincial government’s decision to impose Section 144.
Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah at a news conference said three rallies were planned in the same vicinity of the city on Wednesday.
“On the reports received from agencies. the Punjab government thought it appropriate to impose Section 144,” Sanaullah said. “In such a situation, any incident can take place.”
The PTI has planned the rally from Khan’s Zaman Park residence to Data Darbar. The party chief along with other leaders were also expected to address the rally supporters.
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