Ahead of PTI protests, police detains over 150 party leaders, workers in Rawalpindi
Islamabad, Sep 25 (IANS/WISHAVWARTA) Ahead of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) planned long march to Islamabad on September 27, police have detained more than 150 party leaders and workers in Rawalpindi division under Section 3 of the Maintenance of Public Order Ordinance and confined them in different prisons, local media reported on Friday.
Police have been carrying out door-to-door searches for PTI leaders and workers in Rawalpindi division, including Attock, Chakwal, Jhelum, Rawalpindi, and Murree. Police have been activated to detain 463 PTI leaders and workers, the daily Dawn reported, citing sources. The police have been monitoring 91 Insaf Student Federation and Insaf Lawyers Forum leaders and workers, while checks have been conducted in over 2,000 homes and offices in the past 20 days.
Sources revealed that police have been blocking roads, deploying personnel and taking measures in all five districts of Rawalpindi division – Attock, Rawalpindi, Murree, Chakwal and Jhelum – to deal with the PTI’s long march, the Dawn report said.
Over 10,600 police personnel will be deployed in Rawalpindi to maintain peace during the PTI march. Additional police contingents called in from other districts of Pakistan have started to reach Rawalpindi to assist the local police in maintaining peace during the PTI long march.
Meanwhile, the Punjab government has imposed a 13-day ban on public gatherings in the province from September 23 to October 5, prohibiting gatherings of five or more people in any public place, street, road, highway, motorway, or open space, Pakistan’s The Express Tribune reported.
The Punjab government has sought Pakistan Rangers’ services for security assistance in Rawalpindi, Attock, Jhelum and Mianwali and urged the Federal Ministry of Interior to downgrade mobile and internet services at selected places in Rawalpindi and Attock from September 27 to maintain law and order.
The notification said that the restrictions had been placed considering “serious and imminent threat to public peace, tranquillity, and the safety of life and property” in the Punjab province by militant or terrorist groups.
On Thursday, the Lahore High Court (LHC) rejected a request to immediately suspend the detention orders issued for former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan’s sisters – Uzma Khan and Noreen Niazi.
During the hearing on Thursday, the lawyers appearing for the duo said that both women are “non-political” and have been detained despite having no justification for their detention. The lawyers said that Uzma Khan had already been acquitted in a case lodged against her. They urged the court to immediately suspend the detention orders issued against Noreen Niazi and Uzma Khan, Dawn reported.
The judge said that the court would seek a report from the relevant parties before announcing the decision on the request for suspension of detention orders. The court issued notices to the respondents and sought their response on the petition.
The petition was filed in the court after police arrested Imran Khan’s three sisters – Aleema Khan, Noreen Niazi and Uzma Khan – following the Lahore Deputy Commissioner’s 30-day detention order under Section 3 of the Maintenance of Public Order (MPO) Ordinance. The detention orders for Imran Khan’s sisters were issued ahead of PTI’s planned protest to demand the release of the party founder.
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