Pakistan's capital imposes ban on public gatherings ahead of protest by Imran Khan's party
Section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) empowers district administrations to issue orders in public interest that may place a ban on a gathering of four or more persons for a specific period of time. The section has been used frequently in the past by Pakistani authorities to crack down on anti-government protests.
The development took place as Khan's PTI party plans to stage a countrywide protest today, August 5, coinciding with the second anniversary of the former prime minister's incarceration. Khan, who was ousted in a no-confidence vote in 2022, remains in prison facing multiple charges he claims are politically motivated. His party leaders say they are protesting to demand his release from prison and their basic rights being denied by the government.
'Section 144 is in effect in the federal capital,' the Islamabad deputy commissioner was quoted as saying in a statement released by his office on Monday. 'Under Section 144, all forms of gatherings or assemblies are prohibited.'
The deputy commissioner warned that strict legal action would be taken in case of any violation of Section 144, urging citizens not to take part in any illegal activity.
Speaking to private news channel Geo News on Monday night, Pakistan's Minister of State for Interior Tallal Chaudry said the government believes it is the PTI's right to protest peacefully. He blamed Khan's party for not contacting the government and seeking permission to hold protests across various parts of the country, including the central jail in Rawalpindi where Khan is imprisoned.
'They [PTI leaders] should take us into confidence, it is their right to protest under the ambit of the law, and they have that right to protest under certain conditions,' the minister said.
Khan has been in jail for two years on a slew of charges that he says are politically motivated. His PTI party has held frequent protests demanding his release and frequently agitated against the Pakistani government over what it says were rigged general elections in February 2024 and a campaign to subdue PTI supporters since his ouster from the PM's office in April 2022.
Pakistani authorities deny Khan's allegations, accusing the ex-premier and his party of leading violent anti-government protests in the past, particularly in May 2023 and Nov. 2024. On May 9, 2023, frenzied mobs across the country carrying flags of Khan's party attacked government and military installations, while a protest in November to demand Khan's release killed four troops during clashes, officials say.
The PTI denies instigating followers to violence and accuses the military and its political rivals of resorting to rights abuses against its supporters. They both deny the charges.
Khan, who was believed to have been brought into power by Pakistan's powerful military, fell out with the generals in the months leading to his ouster from the prime minister's office. His party accuses the military, which has ruled Pakistan for nearly half of its history and holds sway in politics even when not in power, of colluding with Khan's rivals to keep him out of politics. The military and Khan's rivals deny this.
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