The interior ministry on Thursday wrote to the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa chief secretary to ensure that state machinery, equipment or finances were not used for PTI’s power show planned for November 24 (Sunday).
PTI founder and ex-premier Imran Khan issued a “final call” for the Sunday protest last week, denouncing what he described as the stolen mandate, the unjust arrests of people, and the passage of the 26th Constitutional Amendment, which he said has strengthened a “dictatorial regime”.
Since Imran’s arrest in August 2023 on several counts, his party has been holding protests across the country for his release and against the alleged rigging of the Feb 8 elections.
Thursday’s letter to Chief Secretary Nadeem Aslam Chaudhry, stated “Protest call on November 24” as its subject, specifying the PTI as the organiser later. It asked Chaudhry to ensure that the KP government “does not utilise state machinery, equipment, officials or finances for political protest by the political party”.
The interior ministry’s directives come a day after the government approved the deployment of both Pakistan Rangers and Frontier Constabulary (FC) personnel in Islamabad from November 22 onwards to “handle” the law and order situation, ahead of the planned power show.
The notification said the exact number of personnel and the date and area of their deployment would be “worked out in consultation with concerned stakeholders”. Similarly, the date of de-requisitioning would be decided after mutually consulting all relevant stakeholders.
The federal and Punjab governments have decided to take strict measures to deal with the PTI’s call. The police have been placed on “high alert” throughout Punjab while Section 144 has been extended in the federal capital for two more months, in addition to heavy security arrangements.
A senior police official confirmed that the Rawalpindi will be sealed from 50 points with freight shipping containers, razors and barbed wires as the district police, including Elite Force commandos, will be deployed and nobody will be allowed to stage any protest.
