RAWALPINDI: The Ministry of Interior has approved the deployment of Rangers in Punjab’s three districts till Nov 27 as PTI gears up for a march towards Islamabad.

A notification issued on Thursday said five wings of Rangers would be stationed in Rawalpindi, Attock and Jhelum districts.

The deployment has been made to “maintain law and order” following a request from the Punjab Home Department. Two wings of Rangers will be deployed in Rawalpindi and Attock and one in Jhelum to assist the district police.

According to the Punjab Home De­­partment’s spokesperson, the pa­­ramilitary force will be deployed in Rawalpindi and Attock today (Fri­day) and in Jhelum from Saturday.

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The federal government had already approved on Wednesday the deployment of Rangers and Frontier Constabulary personnel in Islam­abad from Nov 22, two days ahead of the PTI’s “final call” rally.

Around 174 reserve personnel of Punjab Constabulary and 4,000 personnel of Punjab Highway Patrol have been placed on standby to assist law enforcement agencies.

In anticipation of a possible law and order situation, the leaves of police officers have been cancelled, with those already on vacation ordered to report back immediately to their place of posting.

Deployment in Islamabad

The interior ministry in response to a request from the capital administration ordered the deployment of paramilitary troops in Islamabad.

According to the order, the federal government in exercise of the power under Sections 4 and 5 of the Anti-Ter­rorism Act 1997 authorised the dep­lo­y­­ment of sufficient strength of Pakis­tan Rangers (Punjab) and Frontier Constabulary troops in Islamabad to handle law and order situation.

The exact number of troops, date and area of deployment will be worked out in consultation with concerned stakeholders, it said, adding that the date of de-requisitioning of the deployment will also be decided subsequently after consultation among all stakeholders.

The capital administration also approached the ministry for early arrangements of anti-riot gears from the Punjab and Sindh police in response to a request by the IGP Islamabad.

Roadblocks

The authorities have also made arrangements to arrest protesters and deal with a possible rioting situation.

According to sources, anti-riot equipment and prison vans would be provided by the city and district police officers.

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Around 70 buses, nine trucks and 13 pickup vans have been arranged for the transportation of PC personnel. In addition, 21 prison vans will also be accompanying the reserve force during transportation.

A senior police official said that a comprehensive security plan to maintain law and order and prevent PTI supporters from entering Islamabad has been made.

The border areas of Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, which included Pathar Ghar, Kati Pahari, Thatha Khalil, Peshawar-Islamabad Toll Plaza, Hassan Abdal, Taxila, Margalla and Chungi No. 26 have been identified as “hot spots” for clashes with the protesters.

Meanwhile, the police have detained more than 100 leaders and workers in the Rawalpindi division. According to sources, 60 PTI workers were detained in Rawalpindi district, 23 in Attock, 25 in Jhelum and one in Chakwal.

Mansoor Malik in Lahore also contributed to this report

Published in Dawn, November 22th, 2024