New Delhi: The Home Department of Punjab province in Pakistan on Wednesday imposed Section 144 in Lahore, banning “all kinds of protests, demonstrations and sit-ins” for seven days, citing threat alerts ahead of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf's (PTI) rally and an Aurat March, news agency ANI reported.
A notification issued by home ministry said Section 144 was imposed that bans “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 is imposed under Section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure and it is to be in effect immediately.
According to the report, PTI workers were taken into police custody on Mall Road for violating Section 144 and all the roads leading to PTI chief Imran Khan’s Zaman Park residence were cordoned off. Police also had to resort to water cannons to dispel PTI workers.
Sharing a footage of the incident on Twitter, PTI claimed their “peaceful workers” were being arrested.
Party leader Fawad Chaudhry shared a video of a water cannon being used to dispel the rally participants.
Imran Khan said that his party had launched its poll campaign with hardly 55 days left for elections in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
“Under what law and in brazen contempt of the Supreme Court, the Punjab caretaker government uses massive police violence against unarmed workers to stop our planned rally?” he tweeted.
“The only job of caretakers is to ensure fair and free elections. What they are doing is an assault on rule of law, our Constitution and democracy. Above all, once the Supreme Court ruling is defied, it is now law of the jungle,” Khan added.
PTI’s Shireen Mazari said Lahore seemed to be “under covert martial law” with roads blocked, rallies blocked, unarmed workers arrested, and sound systems taken away.
In an apparent dig at the Punjab caretaker chief minister, she said, “Crook Naqvi indulging in all fascist tactics.”
Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah defended the Punjab government’s decision and said that three rallies were taken out simultaneously - Aurat March, Jamaat-i-Islami’s ‘Haya March’ and the PTI’s march.
According to a report by Dawn, he said that all three demonstrations were taking place in the same vicinity. “In such a situation, any incident can take place,” he said, adding that the Punjab government choose to impose Section 144 on the reports received from agencies.