ISLAMABAD, Dec 1: Amid growing uncertainty about the well-being of former Pakistan PM Imran Khan, supporters of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) have planned massive protests in Rawalpindi and Islamabad. Amid concerns of growing unrest, Pakistani authorities have imposed Section 144 in Rawalpindi, banning gatherings in response to demands to meet the former Prime Minister.
Meanwhile, reports indicate that Khan’s three sisters, PTI activists, and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa CM Sohail Afridi have been camping outside Adiala Jail for the past few days to put pressure on the Shehbaz Sharif government to allow his family members to meet him. The party has announced fresh protests outside the Islamabad High Court and Adiala Jail on Tuesday.
As per Pakistan media reports, Deputy Commissioner Dr. Hassan Waqar Cheema ordered the imposition of Section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (Punjab Amendment) Act, 2024, for three days, from December 1 to 3. Under the law, all assemblies, gatherings, sit-ins, rallies, processions, demonstrations, jalsas, dharnas, protests, and similar gatherings of five or more people are prohibited. The restrictions also ban carrying weapons, spikes or any other instruments that could potentially be used for violence. Display of arms (except by law enforcement agencies), objectionable or hate speeches, and attempts to remove police-imposed restrictions on assemblies or traffic are also forbidden.
The order, dated December 1, states that there exists an “imminent threat within the limits of District Rawalpindi,” and the restrictions are being imposed to ensure “public safety, security, peace, and tranquility.”
Khan has been imprisoned since August 2023 following convictions in several cases he claims are politically motivated. Khan was sentenced in January 2025 to 14 years in prison in a corruption case, marking the longest jail term he has received. He has faced charges in over 100 cases, ranging from leaking state secrets to selling state gifts, all of which he has described as politically motivated. Pakistani authorities have described the case as the largest corruption case the country has seen, though Pakistan has experienced major financial scandals involving former leaders in the past. (UNI)
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