Exemptions apply to weddings, funerals, burials, officials performing government duties, courts
PUNJAB:
The Punjab Home Department has extended the enforcement of Section 144 across the province for a further seven days, until November 8.
Under the extended orders:
-
All protests, rallies, processions, sit-ins, and similar gatherings remain prohibited.
-
Public assemblies of four or more people are completely banned.
-
The display of any type of weapon is strictly prohibited.
-
Loudspeakers may only be used for the call to prayer (Azan) and Friday sermons (Khutbah).
-
The publication or distribution of inciting, hateful, or sectarian material is also banned.
The decision to extend Section 144 aims to maintain law and order and protect lives and property, amid ongoing terrorism threats and public safety concerns. Exemptions apply to weddings, funerals, burials, officials performing government duties, and courts.
Read: Punjab extends Section 144 for seven days, citing terror threats
Authorities have warned that public gatherings could be soft targets for terrorists, and extremists may exploit protests to pursue anti-state agendas.
Section 144 was originally enforced in the province on October 9 due to the protests organised by the now-banned Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP). On October 18, a seven-day extension in the enforcement of Section 144 was announced across the province, a day after provincial cabinet forwarded a summary to the federal government seeking a formal ban on the Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan.
Read more: Can the TLP actually be banned?
After the violent protests in Lahore, and an overnight operation in Muridke on October 13, the Punjab government had moved to ban the outfit, sending a summary to he federal government. Subsequently, the notification, under Section 11B (1)(a) of the Anti-Terrorism Act, 1997, stated that the federal government ordered the TLP to be a proscribed organisation under the Act and listed the aforesaid organisation in the first schedule to the said Act.
After which, the Ministry of Interior issued a notification regarding the ban on the Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan, stating that the federal government has “reasonable grounds to believe that TLP is connected and involved in terrorism”.
