The Punjab government on Thursday night issued separate notifications banning all public gatherings and announcing a holiday in all educational institutions across the province.
In a notification announcing the imposition of Section 144, which bans any gatherings of five or more people, the provincial home department said the restrictions would remain in place for two days, Friday and Saturday. “[I]n view of prevailing law and order situation and threat perceptions, any kind of protest/procession is likely to provide soft target to terrorists and miscreants, which not only pose serious security threats, but is also likely to cause danger to public peace and order as well as inconvenience to public at large,” read the notification.
The imposition of Section 144 also coincides with the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI)’s latest protest call, with authorities having similarly imposed it prior to its previous calls for mass demonstration. In the current instance, it likely also seeks to restrain students from protesting against the alleged rape of a student at a college in Lahore that the government maintains is fake news propagated by disinformation.
Separately, notifications issued by the Punjab higher education and school education departments announced a holiday in all public and private schools and universities on Friday (today). While the notifications did not specify any reason for this, sources said it was aimed at reducing pressure from student protests, which have turned violent, with rioters in Gujrat killing a security guard at a campus of the Punjab College.
The protests commenced on Monday over social media allegations of a college in Lahore “covering up” the alleged rape of a student. The government swiftly formed an investigation team to probe the matter, finding no evidence of any rape or even a victim. However, social media continue to spread disinformation, shifting between various alleged victims, despite vociferous denials from them and their families.
As the protests spread, turning violent and damaging lives, and public and private property, Punjab police initiated a crack down, arresting hundreds from various cities. On Thursday, a particularly violent demonstration in Rawalpindi resulted in over 380 arrests, according to police, who said they had pelted stones on law enforcers, damaged public property, and committed arson. In a statement, police said the “majority” of the arrested were not students, indicating ulterior motives behind the rioting. A day earlier, Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz had accused the PTI of inciting students to sow chaos.
The chief minister also announced a “crack down” on anyone using social media to spread disinformation, with the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) issuing notices to 38 influencers and YouTubers who allegedly shared fake information to incite violence.