LAHORE: The Punjab government has imposed Section 144 across the entire province from September 13 to September 17, banning gatherings of five or more people, processions, public meetings, sit-ins and demonstrations after law enforcement and intelligence agencies reported what officials described as a serious and imminent threat to public peace.
The Punjab Home Department issued a formal notification enforcing the restrictions under Section 144(6) of the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1898 — the sub-section that allows a district or provincial authority to act immediately, without prior notice to those affected, when a threat is judged too urgent for the ordinary procedure.
Under the order, no assembly of five or more persons is permitted at any public place, road, highway or open space anywhere in Punjab for the five-day period. Processions, rallies, public meetings, sit-ins and protest demonstrations are prohibited across the province, including Lahore.
The notification separately bans the carrying, display or brandishing of weapons of every kind at public places. It also makes it an offence to incite or encourage people to take part in an unlawful assembly, rally or demonstration — a clause that extends liability beyond those physically present at a banned gathering to organisers and online mobilisers.
According to the Home Department, highly sensitive reports were received from law enforcement agencies and intelligence agencies indicating that proscribed terrorist organisations were planning to target public gatherings and rallies.
The notification states that large concentrations of people at rallies, public meetings, sit-ins, processions and demonstrations could become soft targets for attack, and that law enforcement agencies had formally requested immediate preventive measures. Threat alerts circulated to the provincial administration warned of the possibility of suicide bombings, vehicle-borne improvised explosive devices and targeted killings.
The restrictions do not apply to mosques and other places of worship, funeral prayers, burials, or wedding ceremonies. Courts and government institutions are exempt, as are events held after a formal No Objection Certificate has been obtained from the district administration.
Personnel of law enforcement agencies, intelligence agencies and security forces on official duty are exempt from the weapons restriction while performing their duties.
A Home Department spokesperson said the protection of citizens’ lives and property remains the Punjab government’s foremost priority, and that the purpose of the restrictions is the prevention of any untoward incident and the maintenance of calm across the province.
Violation of an order under Section 144 is prosecutable under Section 188 of the Pakistan Penal Code, which covers disobedience of an order lawfully promulgated by a public servant. The provision is routinely invoked in Punjab around Muharram, election periods and major political mobilisations, and orders are ordinarily time-bound, expiring automatically unless renewed.
The order lands in a crowded political calendar. Jamaat-e-Islami’s sit-in against the petroleum levy has entered its 30th day at Faisal Chowk on Mall Road, and the party has announced a long march on Islamabad for September 20. Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf has announced its own protest plans for the same window.
Neither the notification nor the Home Department statement names any political party. Officials have consistently framed the order as a counter-terrorism precaution rather than a restriction aimed at political activity, pointing to sustained pressure on militant networks nationwide, including recent security force operations in Kharan and Washuk.
The Lahore Times will report any extension, relaxation or district-level variation of the order as it is notified.
Leave a Reply