A terrible move of the government, Tehreek-e-Insaf announced a nationwide protest, and Section 144 enforced for 7 days across Punjab.

Muhammad Afzal Staff Reporter Dawn TV + Daily Dawn

Lahore: In light of the current law and order situation, the Punjab government has imposed Section 144 across the province thus banning protests and public gatherings in the province.

The imposition of Section 144 across Punjab comes at a time when the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has planned to stage nationwide protests today demanding the release of its jailed leader Imran Khan.

According to the order issued by the Home Department, Section 144 has been implemented with immediate effect and will remain in force for 7 days.

According to the Punjab Police, Section 144 empowers the authorities to issue orders in the public interest which may prohibit any activity for a specified period. In the face of threats, gatherings can provide soft targets to terrorists and miscreants, which not only pose serious security threats, but can also cause law and order and inconvenience to the public.

Although no specific reason was given for imposing the ban, Secretary Noor Alamin Mengal, who issued the notice, wrote in the order that there are sufficient grounds for action under Section 144 in Punjab.

The order states that rallies, gatherings, dharnas, processions, demonstrations, protests, and other such activities have been banned with immediate effect.

The imposition of Section 144 across Punjab comes as the PTI has announced a nationwide protest for the release of Imran Khan.

According to a post on social media platform X, there have also been several illegal police raids on the homes of PTI leaders in Khanewal.

The party also claimed that the office of PTI leader Humayun Khan from PP 209 Khanewal was raided and vandalized by the police.

Speaking in the National Assembly today, Leader of the Opposition Umar Ayub also condemned the implementation of Article 144 and told the Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly Ghulam Mustafa Shah that the ban is a violation of the Constitution.

Apart from this, the police are continuing to crack down on the houses and offices of the members of the PTI assembly. The houses of ticket holder Usman Hamza, Hamad Awan, and Mian Aslam Iqbal’s brother Afzal Iqbal were also raided. A large number of opposition members could not even reach the assembly due to the fear of arrest by the police. They also decided to go to court against the police raids.

Secretary General PTI Lahore Hafiz Zeeshan Rasheed said that the police raided the houses of workers and ticket holders throughout the night. Not taken back.