In twin cities: Section 144 imposed

The ban on gatherings will last for two months in Islamabad, two days in Pindi

ISLAMABAD: In a coordinated move to counter the upcoming protest by PTI, the Islamabad Capital Administration (ICT) and the Rawalpindi district coordination officer (DCO) imposed Section 144 in the twin cities and prohibited all gatherings of five people or more, including processions, rallies and demonstrations.

In Islamabad, the “order shall come into force with immediate effect and shall remain in force for two months,” reads a notification issued by ICT Deputy Commissioner Captain (retired) Mushtaq Ahmed.

The order reads that it has been brought into his notice that certain segments of the society are planning unlawful assemblies which can disrupt public peace and tranquility. Moreover, the ICT has also imposed a ban, under the section, to bar the use of loudspeakers, amplifiers, and sound systems, except for issuing calls to prayer and the Friday sermons.



ICT has also imposed a ban on carrying and displaying firearms.

Further, guesthouse owners have been ordered not to accommodate Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) workers, with the Karachi Company SHO ordering owners of guesthouses to refrain from accommodating workers of political parties from October 26 till the end of the dharna (sit-in).

They have been warned that if someone belonging to these parties is found at a guesthouse, strict legal action would be taken against the owners.

Rawalpindi

In Rawalpindi, Section 144 has only been imposed for two days “with effect from October 28”, in what appears to be a bid to stop a planned public rally at Sheikh Rasheed Ahmed’s residence on Friday, where PTI Chairman Imran Khan would have also addressed his supporters.

The Rawalpindi police have also started to clamp down on local Awami Muslim League (AML) and PTI leaders, with reports received of “numerous” arrests.

According to sources and party leaders, two of PTI MPA Ijaz Khan’s brothers and an AML office bearer were picked up in overnight raids. There were unconfirmed reports that the police have taken some 150 leaders and workers of the two parties into custody.

In the Section 144 notification, DCO Talat Mahmood Gondal noted that the district government had reports that some elements were planning unlawful assemblies in the city.

However, Sheikh Rashid Shafique, a former town nazim and nephew of AML chief Sheikh Rashid Ahmed, vowed to hold the public gathering outside Lal Haveli at any cost, adding that all preparations had been finalised.

Rawalpindi’s top cops are facing a shortage of staff in case of clashes with PTI, AML and Pakistan Awami Tehreek workers on November 2, sources told The Express Tribune.

The city police officer has made a request for higher authorities to provide 2,000 cops to maintain law and order in the city.

On orders from the Punjab government, the police carried out overnight raids at the house of PTI and AML workers and arrested Imtiaz Khan and Iqbal Khan, the brothers of PTI MPA Ijaz Khan, and Chaudhry Azhar, the general secretary of Jamiat Ahle Quraish and an AML officer bearer.

A large number of other leaders of these parties have gone underground to avoid arrest, police sources said. Awkwardly, a senior police officer, seeking anonymity, said that the police are following instructions to seal Rawalpindi to ensure that the November 2 protest does not lead to a lockdown in Islamabad.

“SHOs from Kotli, Kallar Syedan, Kahuta and Murree were directed to report in Pindi along with their staff,” he said.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 28^th, 2016.