PTI protest: Twin cities to be sealed at key points as Punjab govt imposes Section 144

Police sources indicate over 4,000 officers equipped with anti-riot gear to be deployed in Rawalpindi

To prevent protests by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and maintain law and order, Punjab police have decided to seal nine locations in Islamabad and 25 in Rawalpindi on Saturday.

The Punjab government has imposed Section 144 in Rawalpindi district for two days, banning public gatherings ahead of a PTI rally planned at Liaquat Bagh for Saturday. 

Section 144, under the Code of Criminal Procedure, prohibits the assembly of four or more people to maintain law and order and prevent potential disturbances.

A notification from the Punjab Home Department, dated September 27, warned that miscreants could exploit the protests for anti-state activities, prompting the imposition of Section 144 in Rawalpindi, Jhelum, Chakwal, and Attock to ensure public safety and security. 

All political gatherings, rallies, and protests, as well as the carrying of weapons, have been banned in these districts over the weekend.

According to details shared by police sources with Express News, key locations in Rawalpindi, including Fateh Jang Toll Plaza, Kacha Stop, Gulzar-e-Quaid, Shamsabad, Faizabad, IJP Road, Double Road, Katariyan Bridge, Pandora Chowk, and Khanna Pul, will be sealed off.

Similarly, Islamabad will be sealed at T-Chowk, Koral, Khanna, Faizabad, IJP Junction, 26 Number, Golra Mor, B-17, and Margalla Cut on GT Road. These areas will be blocked using a three-tier system of containers, dumpers, loaded trucks, and barbed wire.

Additionally, police sources indicated that over 4,000 officers and personnel equipped with anti-riot gear will be deployed in Rawalpindi, with additional forces stationed at 31 different locations.

Each checkpoint will be manned by a Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) and two Station House Officers (SHOs). Elite Force and Patrolling Units will also assist Punjab Police by providing anti-riot equipment.

Senior police officials, including the Deputy Inspector General of Operations (DIG), Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), Superintendent of Police (SP), and Sub-Divisional Police Officers (SDPOs), along with SHOs of all police stations, will be present in the field in Islamabad.

In a related development, the leaves of police personnel in Rawalpindi have been cancelled, and all officers currently on leave have been recalled to duty.

Earlier this week, PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan announced plans for a Saturday rally, and the party applied for a no-objection certificate. However, PTI founder Imran Khan later announced that the rally had been called off, citing concerns the government would not allow it and would push for a venue in the suburbs instead.

Instead of the rally, PTI protests and a demonstration by the party's lawyers outside the Supreme Court were planned.