• Party halts Punjab protests, demands immediate access to Imran
• Section 144 imposed in Rawalpindi district until Oct 17

LAHORE: The Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) has announced the suspension of its protests in Punjab and issued a nationwide call urging party leaders and workers to converge on Islamabad’s D-Chowk on Oct 15, when the two-day Shanghai Coopera­tion Organisation (SCO) summit is set to begin.

The PTI has also demanded immediate access for party leaders and family members to its founder, Imran Khan, who is incarcerated in Adiala Jail. The government earlier banned visits to prisoners at Adiala Jail until Oct 18 due to security concerns rela­ted to the high-profile SCO summit.

In the initial phase of the protests in Punjab, police cracked down on demonstrators in Multan and Sahi­wal, allegedly arresting hundreds of protesters on Friday.

The PTI alleged that several parliamentarians, including Deputy Op­­position Leader in the Punjab Asse­mbly Moeen Qureshi from Multan and Maj (retired) Ghulam Sarwar from Sahiwal, were among those detained.

The PTI’s Punjab chapter posted videos and pictures of arrested party leaders and workers. Many of those in custody, including some in prison vans, were seen chanting slogans such as “Imran Khan Zindabad” and “Release Imran Khan”.

Amid reports of police heavy-handedness, the PTI’s Political Committee announced the postponement of protests scheduled for Saturday (today) in Gujranwala and Sargodha, for Dera Ghazi Khan on Oct 13, and for Lahore and Faisalabad on Oct 14.

PTI Punjab President Hammad Az­­­har tweeted on Friday evening that the government must allow par­ty leaders to contact Imran Khan or risk a nationwide movement converging on Islamabad on Oct 15. He also confirmed the postponement of protests in Punjab, urging party workers to prepare for the Islamabad rally.

Meanwhile, the Punjab government has imposed Section 144 in the Rawalpindi district for eight days — from Oct 10 to 17 — citing the arrival of foreign dignitaries at PAF Base Nur Khan, Rawalpindi, and New Islamabad International Airport for the SCO Summit. The order prohibits all political assemblies, rallies, sit-ins and similar activities.

The Punjab home department has also banned pillion riding on motorcycles and scooters, except for law enforcement personnel. Aerial firing, pigeon flying, and the use of drones and laser lights have also been prohibited.

Section 144 has also been imposed around Punjab Public Service Commission examination centres in Lahore, Rawalpindi, Multan and Faisalabad from Oct 11 to 13.

Last week, hundreds of PTI activists, including senior leaders, gathered at multiple locations in Isla­m­abad on Friday, defying heavy police blockades and road closures, while authorities dug trenches and placed iron nails on a stretch of the Islam­abad-Peshawar motorway to prevent protesters from Khyber Pakhtun­khwa from reaching the capital.

Minister warns ‘plotters’

Meanwhile, Information Minister Attaullah Tarar told the media in Islamabad that protest announcements did not make any difference, as Islamabad had been made fully safe and secure to welcome foreign delegations. No miscreant would be allowed to disrupt the SCO, he said, warning those having “a mindset to conspire against the country”.

All security arrangements had been finalised, he said, expressing the hope that the SCO would be a great success for the region.

Published in Dawn, October 12th, 2024