The Punjab government has imposed Section 144 across the province for 10 days, banning gatherings of five or more people as Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s march continues toward Islamabad.
The restriction took effect on October 6 and applies province-wide. The Punjab government cited what it described as a serious and imminent threat to public peace and the safety of life and property.
The order comes as PTI supporters continue a phased march toward the federal capital. The convoy, led by Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi, had reached Kohat after beginning its movement toward Islamabad on Sunday.
PTI says the march is intended to press for the release of party founder Imran Khan and to raise broader political and constitutional demands. The government and PTI had held talks before the march, but those discussions ended without an agreement.
Section 144 allows authorities to restrict assemblies and other activities when officials consider such measures necessary for public order and security. In this case, the most immediate effect is a province-wide prohibition on gatherings of five or more people during the 10-day period.
The Punjab measure is a new development in the continuing confrontation surrounding the march. It expands restrictions beyond individual routes or locations and creates a province-wide legal constraint on public gatherings while PTI supporters are moving toward Islamabad.
The order does not by itself determine whether the march will reach the capital or how PTI will alter its plans. Any enforcement action, route closures or further restrictions would need to be assessed as separate developments.
Security arrangements around political marches in Pakistan have previously included road closures, containers and additional police deployments. The current order, however, should be understood specifically as Punjab’s 10-day Section 144 restriction rather than as evidence that every road or gathering point across the province has been closed.
The political situation remains fluid as the march proceeds. The key points established on October 6 are that Punjab has imposed the province-wide restriction, gatherings of five or more people are covered by the ban, and PTI’s movement toward Islamabad was continuing when the order was reported.
Pakistan Report illustration.