RAWALPINDI: The Rawalpindi district administration on Monday imposed Section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) in a bid to prevent any untoward incidents amid Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) planned nationwide protests against the detention of its founder, Imran Khan.
According to a notification issued by Rawalpindi Deputy Commissioner Hassan Waqar Cheema, all kinds of rallies, sit-ins, demonstrations, protests, and assembly of more than four persons within the limits of the district have been banned with immediate effect.
The restrictions will remain in place until August 10, it added.
Meanwhile, Senior Superintendent of Adiala Jail Abdul Ghafoor Anjum penned a letter to the City Police Officer (CPO), seeking additional security to prevent a possible protest by PTI supporters outside the prison.
In his letter, the jail superintendent noted that there are currently 7,700 inmates in the prison, while its capacity is only 2,174.
“PTI has planned a protest outside the jail on August 5,” the officer said, stressing the need for urgent measures to ensure foolproof security at the facility, where the PTI founder is serving jail terms in multiple cases ranging from treason to terrorism.
Additional police personnel, barriers, and surveillance should be deployed outside Rawalpindi jail to avoid any untoward incident, the letter stated.
Separate requests were also sent to the Home Department, IG Prisons, and RPO for security, it added.
The officer further said that Rawalpindi jail was “very sensitive” due to the presence of political prisoners and terrorists.
Additional security should be deployed from Dahgal Checkpost to Gate No. 5 of Adiala Jail, the letter read.
The country is bracing for a fresh round of protests as the former ruling party has announced it will take to the streets across Pakistan on August 5 — marking two years of Khan’s incarceration — demanding his release and relief for inflation-hit masses.
PTI has repeatedly called for Khan’s release, who has been behind bars for over a year. The deposed prime minister was arrested from Lahore on August 5, 2023, after being sentenced to three years in prison for illegally selling state gifts.
The protest call was made by PTI stalwart Asad Qaiser during a press conference on Sunday, jointly addressed by the party’s Secretary General Omar Ayub Khan and other leaders in Islamabad.
“August 5 marks the day of the PTI founder’s arrest; we will stage protests on that day,” Qaiser said, referring to the Toshakhana case.
