Despite obstacles such as gathering prohibitions in Punjab and Islamabad and a court ruling that deemed the demonstration “illegal,” PTI officials on Friday remained determined to proceed with their planned power show on November 24.
On Sunday, November 24, PTI founder and former prime minister Imran Khan issued a “final call” for nationwide rallies, condemning the 26th amendment’s adoption, which he said strengthened a “dictatorial regime,” the stolen mandate, and arbitrary arrests.
Aliya Hamza Malik, a former PTI MNA who is currently out on bail, stated that the decision to organize a demonstration on November 24 is still definite.
At reference to Imran’s incarceration at Rawalpindi’s Adiala Jail, Malik told Dawn.com, “The other leaders are in a meeting with [Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin] Gandapur, and some of them are in Adiala.”
When asked whether his party still intended to carry out the protest plans, PTI leader Sayed Zulfi Bukhari told Dawn.com, “Yes, full on.”
Imran declared that November 24 was “the day to break free from slavery” in a message that was uploaded on his X account today.
“Pakistan is forced to demonstrate and make sacrifices because the rule of law, the Constitution, and human rights are suspended there. The message stated that the country must choose between wearing the crown of freedom or the burden of enslavement.
He expressed hope that the protest would be successful and advised the public to stay focused on Sunday.
Punjab is under Section 144 from Saturday until Monday.
Public meetings have been prohibited in Rawalpindi until November 26 and in Islamabad for two more months prior to the PTI protest.
In accordance with Section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code, a similar ban was declared for three days, from Saturday to Monday, throughout Punjab.
A law known as Section 144 gives district administrations the authority to temporarily forbid gatherings of four or more individuals in a given region. It is typically enforced to keep the peace, stop any possible disturbances, and stop any actions that could turn violent.
The Punjab Home Department announced today that “all kinds of political assemblies, gatherings, sit-ins, rallies, demonstrations, jalsas, protests, and such like other activities” were prohibited throughout the province. Dawn.com has a copy of the notification.
“There is a concern that miscreants/mischief mongers may utilize the aforementioned protest to engage in subversive or anti-state activities to fulfill their evil plans,” the directive read.
It stated that “in the backdrop of the present wave of incidents of terrorism,” the Standing Committee of the Cabinet on Law and Order’s 18th meeting recommended the implementation of the aforementioned limitations.
According to the warning, the prohibition was put in place to protect people and facilities from any possible terrorist attacks or undesirable conduct.
In order to guarantee “safety of lives and property of the public and tranquillity in the province of Punjab,” it described the implementation of Section 144 as a “speedy remedy to prevent disturbance of public peace.”
Separately, the deputy inspector general of police office in Lahore asked the commandant of the Ring Road Authority to close the road on Saturday and Sunday from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. due to the expected law and order situation caused by the expected agitation, protest, and gatherings in the city over the weekend.
The law and order situation may worsen as a result of the miscreants and troublemakers causing damage to both private and public property.
The request stated that “the Lahore police are ensuring the safety & security of the general public and private/public property.”
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