LAHORE: After the decision of the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) to intensify its protest across the province, the Punjab government has become defensive and it has prohibited all kinds of political assemblies, gatherings, sit-ins rallies and other activities across the province from Friday (today) to Sunday.

The home department on Thursday imposed Section 144 across the province – in view of prevailing law and order situation and security threats. The notification says any political gathering or assembly is likely to cause threat to public peace and order as well as inconvenience to the public at large. The order has banned all kinds of political assemblies, protests and such other activities.

The PTI has been stepping up its agitation within the Punjab Assembly and outside and asserting that it would not bow before any pressure tactic. It says that the PTI is already facing a regime of ‘an unannounced martial law’ and the general public too was facing excesses in terms of power bills and inflation.

The PTI has also been requesting permission for the holding of public meetings, including one at Minar-i-Pakistan since long, but no permission had been granted to it post-May 9, last year.

PTI reacts strongly; JI expresses resolve to hold sit-in in Islamabad

The PTI has strongly reacted to the ban and its leader, in hiding, Mian Aslam Iqbal said the fake and imported government had got confused and started using pressure tactics.

In a tweet, Mr Iqbal said the party’s political workers’ residences had yet again been raided and added that his constituency, UC-92 chairman candidate Mian Naeem was raided and his office was raided yet again on Thursday.

“We will not back down from our stance an inch and face the incumbent government’s fascism,” he stated.

PTI Punjab general secretary Hammad Azhar posted pictures of a police raid and ransacking of the residence of party MNA Haji Imtiaz Chaudhry. Comparing the Punjab Police with the Mongols, he said they would ruin everything wherever they would raid.

He also tweeted that the police also raided his constituency office in Lahore. Posting a CCTV footage grab, Mr Azhar stated that the relevant police officer decided to take a selfie too with an arrested party worker, Ali Hassan, “to show compliance to his superiors of their fascist orders”.

On the other hand, Jamaat-i-Islami (JI) emir Hafiz Naeemur Rehman has issued a stern warning to the government, asserting that its fascist tactics to suppress peaceful protesters would not succeed.

Rehman declared that the JI would enter Islamabad and hold a sit-in at D-Chowk on Friday (today).

“We believe in peaceful resistance for the rights of the people. Holding a sit-in is our constitutional and democratic right,” Rehman stated while speaking to journalists in Lahore.

He also visited the sit-in preparation camp in Gujranwala, demanding that the government provide relief to the public in terms of electricity tariffs and unfair taxes or be prepared to face the consequences. He emphasized that the government would be held accountable for any situation arising from the obstacles for the protesters.

He warned that the protest demonstrations would spread across the country if the government would block the JI protesters’ entry to Islamabad.

Rehman also welcomed the participation of any political party, inviting the political workers to be a part of the sit-in.

He criticised the independent power producers (IPPs) agreements as unfair and unjust, saying they burdened the masses while securing billions for the IPP owners, many of whom were a part of the government. He called for a review of the IPPs agreements, stating that people are no longer willing to pay the massive bills.

He demanded that the government reduce electricity tariffs, eliminate the slab system in billing and end taxes on salaried persons and food items.

Meanwhile, the police are continuing crackdown, arresting the JI leaders and workers across the country. Hundreds of JI members have been arrested, with police conducting raids on their homes.

RAIDS: Police conducted raids to arrest key JI figures in parts of Punjab.

JI Punjab chief Dr Tariq Saleem told Dawn by telephone from an undisclosed location that several party workers had been arrested from Gujrat, Attock, Mianwali, Gujranwala, Bahawalpur, Kharian and other cities whereas the containers were being parked on the GT Road near Rawalpindi and Islamabad to block the JI convoys from reaching D Chowk, Islamabad.

In Okara, the local JI emir Dr Ghulam Nabi Nasir in Hujra Shah Muqeem was arrested while police conducted raids at the houses of tehsil and district level leaders. The Okara City police conducted raids at the residences of JI leaders Ahmad Shakaib Arslan, Salman Azhar Sheikh, Malik Adil and Adnan Latif but they had gone underground to avoid arrest.

In Jhang, police arrested JI leader Mir Muhammad Qasim while in Pirmahal, they took JI activist Muhammad Ramzan in custody.

In Pirmahal, police arrested PTI city party president Ihsanulhaq Nanha while a PTI worker, Imran Hussain Rathor, was held in Shorkot.

Published in Dawn, July 26th, 2024