Section 144 was imposed in Islamabad, Punjab and Balochistan as Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) held a rally in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s (KP) Swabi.
According to state-run Radio Pakistan, all gatherings, processions, rallies and sit-ins have been prohibited for maintaining law and order and the protection of the lives and properties of the people.
The legal provision allows district administrations to ban assemblies of four or more people in specific areas for a limited time.
PTI had announced it would observe a “black day” on February 8 to mark the first anniversary of last year’s elections, which were overshadowed by disputes over inconsistencies in the results.
Earlier, the Lahore deputy commissioner and the Lahore High Court (LHC) had denied the party’s request to hold a rally at Minar-e-Pakistan.
Despite this, Aliya Hamza Malik, the PTI’s Punjab chief organiser, has instructed party leaders to hold protest demonstrations.
PTI accuses govt of ‘election fraud’
Addressing the rally, PTI spokesperson Sheikh Waqas Akram claimed that the February 8 elections were “rigged”, asserting that the day would always be commemorated as “Black Day”.
He said the “elections were stolen” to facilitate the 26th Constitutional Amendment, which aimed to control judges.
Former National Assembly speaker Asad Qaiser led the crowd in chants of “Go Shehbaz”, expressing dissatisfaction with the incumbent government.
Junaid Akbar calls for unity in the party
PTI president of KP Chapter Junaid Akbar was welcomed at the stage with chants of “march to D-Chowk”.
He congratulated the people of KP for hosting a successful gathering.
“This rally, called by Imran Khan, is a message to those claiming that PTI workers were afraid and exhausted,” Akbar said, adding that whenever Khan calls for a public gathering, the workers would show up in even greater numbers than before.
Akbar said if they had to, PTI workers would come fully prepared this time. He noted the “significant distance between the public and institutions, which he deemed dangerous for the country.”