ISLAMABAD: Amid reports that the participants of the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) long march will be carrying weapons, capital police on Wednesday approached the district administration seeking deployment of armed police units to protect the lives of anti-riot force and other ‘unarmed’ personnel deployed to counter the protest.

“In light of the information, deployment of a suitable number of armed police and other units to protect the precious lives of Anti-Riot Force of Police, Frontier Constabulary and Punjab Rangers is utmost necessary in order to ensure right of self-defence by LEAs and for protection of people of Islamabad, including participants of forthcoming long march/dharna,” the letter written by the Central Police Office said.

Deputy Inspector General of Police Sohail Zafar Chattha submitted that there was “credible information from open sources…regard to unlawful use of lethal weapons, lethal pointed batons, catapults and other weapons etc by some PTI workers and protesters during the upcoming long march against law enforcement agencies deployed at the moment for protection of law and order…in the capital.

The letter claimed that the PTI supporters were “amassing unlawful paraphernalia on the boundaries of capital in the limits of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab”.

“Some of the potential miscreants of the plan have also reached the capital and are working to materialise the designs to disrupt the harmony and peace,” it added.

“It is therefore, requested that the interior ministry may kindly be approached on priority basis with the request to accord necessary guidance, if they believe otherwise, for deployment of these armed units during the upcoming PTI long march/dharna exercising the right of self-defense as per the laws,” the letter said, calling the deployment of armed units “utmost necessary”.

IHC issues notice

The Islamabad High Court (IHC) issued notice to the district administration on the PTI petition seeking permission to stage a sit-in in the federal capital.

IHC Justice Aamer Farooq resumed hearing on PTI’s petition.

The petition filed by PTI leader Ali Nawaz Awan came amid a “deliberate delay” in the issuance of a no-objection certificate (NOC) by the Islamabad administration to the former ruling party for its long march.

During the course of hearing, Justice Farooq inquired as if the district administration has rejected the application.

PTI’s counsel informed the court that the matter was pending as the administration was using “delaying tactics” instead of responding to the application submitted by the former ruling party.

Justice Farooq then directed the district administration to depute a senior officer to assist the court and apprise the court on the matter.

The petition further stated that the PTI approached the deputy commissioner for the NOC, but the DC office did not pay any heed to its request in spite of a letter by the PTI on Oct 26, deeming the delay “mala fide”.

The deputy commissioner was contacted on Oct 28 again, but to no avail, the plea claimed, saying the refusal to grant permission to the former ruling party for a jalsa in Islamabad was a “sheer attempt to usurp, hamper and infringe the fundamental rights of freedom of assembly, association, and speech”.

In a related development, interior minister Rana Sanaullah linked the permission for the sit-in with the judicial nod.

He told mediapersons that the district administration that worked under the interior ministry would grant NOC to the PTI if the IHC would issue any direction in this regard.

Published in Dawn, November 3rd, 2022