The Punjab government has ramped up preparations ahead of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI)’s Sept. 27 long march to Islamabad, imposing Section 144 in the province, erecting road blockades at Attock, and seeking the deployment of Rangers in four districts.
According to a government notification, Section 144 has been imposed across the province from Sept. 23 until Oct. 5, banning gatherings, processions and assemblies of five or more people at public places, roads and open spaces. The order also bans the carrying and display of weapons and the incitement or encouragement of people to join unlawful gatherings. Weddings, funeral prayers and burials, as well as gatherings at mosques and other places of worship, are exempt.
The notification cites security threats as justification for the measures, claiming there is information about terrorist groups targeting public gatherings.
Additionally, citing security threats, the provincial government has sought the suspension or downgrading of mobile and internet services in parts of Rawalpindi and Attock from Sept. 27. Attock, which connects Punjab to Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, has also seen the placement of several road barricades, with containers placed on the sides of roads and piles of dirt also blocking access to major thoroughfares.
The Punjab government has further sought the deployment of paramilitary Rangers in Rawalpindi, Attock, Jhelum and Mianwali until Oct. 5. The request for deployment falls under Article 245 of the Constitution, Sections 4 and 5 of the Anti-Terrorism Act, 1997, and Sections 7(b) and 10 of the Pakistan Rangers Ordinance, 1959.