Minister of State for Interior Tallal Chaudhry said on Tuesday that compliance with Section 144 would be ensured in Islamabad and Rawalpindi, where the PTI plans to hold protests today.
“Whether they come to the Islamabad High Court (IHC) or the Adiala jail, action under Section 144 would be carried out without any discrimination,” Chaudhry warned while speaking to the media in Islamabad. He particularly urged PTI-backed parliamentarians to “abide by the law”.
Section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code is a legal provision that empowers district administrations to prohibit an assembly of four or more people in an area for a limited period.
The opposition has decided to stage protests outside the IHC and Rawalpindi’s Adiala jail — where PTI founder Imran Khan is incarcerated — against restrictions on the former prime minister’s visitation rights.
According to reports from the twin cities, security arrangements have been in place in Rawalpindi, with pickets set up on routes leading to the Adiala jail. Meanwhile, roads leading to the Red Zone, which houses key government buildings, from Serena Hotel and the National Database and Registration Authority office have been blocked.
During his media talk, Chaudhry said Section 144 had been imposed in the twin cities “in light of intelligence reports”.
He further linked the matter to terrorism, saying: “Terrorists look for instances [which they can use] to spread fear and make headlines; be it [a] political gathering, courts or important places or offices.”
The state minister further said that terrorists used social media applications, particularly for communication. “They use these apps with virtual private networks (VPNs) to hide their identities and locations.”
So, Chaudhry continued, the interior ministry had decided that it, along with the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA), would find a solution to this problem.
“The PTA has issued a detailed press release regarding the registration of VPNs,” he said, adding that the government did not want IT-related businesses to be affected by this measure. “But, it has to be done at any cost to ensure that mobile and social media apps are not used for terrorist activities.”
