Islamabad, Sep 24 (IANS) : Ahead of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) planned long march in Islamabad on September 27, the Punjab government has imposed a 13-day ban on public gatherings across the province, closing roads and businesses in and around Attock and Rawalpindi and deploying Rangers paramilitary forces in four districts of the province, local media reported on Thursday.
According to the notification issued by the Punjab government, gatherings, processions and assemblies of five or more people have been prohibited at public places, roads and open spaces in Punjab for 13 days. The notification said it bans carrying and displaying weapons and encouraging or inciting people to participate in unlawful gatherings in Punjab province, Pakistan-based daily The Express Tribune reported.
The order excludes weddings, funeral prayers, burials, and gatherings at mosques and other places of worship. The notification said that law enforcement and intelligence agencies had received information regarding an imminent security threat, with militant groups planning to carry out attacks on public gatherings. Punjab government’s latest order comes after it has detained several PTI leaders, workers and relatives of party founder Imran Khan on various grounds.
On Monday, a petition challenging the 30-day detention orders issued against Imran Khan’s three sisters was filed in the Lahore High Court (LHC), requesting their immediate release.
The petition was filed 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.
Aleema Khan’s son, Shahraiz Khan, has filed the petition in court challenging the detention of his mother and two aunts. In the petition, Shahraiz Khan has requested the court to declare the detention order null and void and order the immediate release of all three women, The Express Tribune reported.
He said that the detention order issued by the Lahore DC was illegal and unlawful. He alleged that Aleema Khan was arrested while she was travelling with her driver for personal work and there was no public gathering or situation that posed a threat to public order. The petitioner stated that Aleema Khan was detained along with her driver, Muhammad Ameer.
On Monday, Imran Khan’s son, Kasim Khan, condemned the detention of his aunts – Uzma Khan and Noreen Niazi, terming it as a “criminal behaviour” and urged the international community to act on the matter.
In a post on X, Kasim Khan stated, “This is a disgrace. Now my Aunts Dr. Uzma and Noreen, along with my cousins Shershah and Shahrez have now been abducted as well. They have broken into my aunties and cousins houses and forced them into vehicles with no explanation. No reasons for arrest have been stated.
“No news has been released as to where they have been taken. This is criminal behaviour. Inexcusable. The Pakistani people are petrified of their own leaders. No upstanding nation should tolerate this criminal establishment. Intervention is now imperative. The world MUST take action,” he added.
