Authorities have intensified security measures across Punjab and Islamabad ahead of PTI’s planned march on the federal capital, while Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi indicated that he may revise his planned tour of Punjab following the death of a PTI worker.
The federal government has sought additional police personnel from the provinces, while the Punjab government has imposed a ban on public gatherings until September 17.
The PTI had announced a 13-city tour of Punjab by Chief Minister Afridi to mobilise supporters ahead of what it has described as a “decisive peaceful protest march” towards Islamabad on September 27.
The caravan was scheduled to begin from Daud Khel on Monday and travel through Mianwali City, Wanbachran, Quaidabad, Joharabad, Khushab, Shahpur, Sargodha, Lalian and Chiniot before reaching Faisalabad for an overnight stay. It was then expected to proceed towards Lahore, with a brief stop in Sheikhupura.
However, Afridi said he would first visit the family of deceased PTI worker Ishtiaq Ahmad in Lahore before announcing the next course of action for the party’s planned Punjab movement.
Meanwhile, the Punjab Home Department imposed Section 144 across the province, prohibiting gatherings of five or more people until September 17. The order also bans the public display or carrying of weapons and activities that could promote unlawful assemblies.
The restrictions include exemptions for weddings, funerals, religious activities and official court and government proceedings.
Authorities said the measures were taken in light of intelligence reports indicating that militant groups could target large public gatherings. Officials maintained that the restrictions were aimed at protecting lives and property rather than curbing political activity.
Security arrangements have also been expanded beyond Punjab. Under a federal directive, Punjab has been asked to provide 15,000 police personnel for security duties in Islamabad, while Sindh will contribute 8,000 officers and Balochistan 500. A total of 23,500 personnel are expected to be deployed by September 20.
In Rawalpindi, City Police Officer Hassan Mushtaq Sukhera cancelled leave for all police officers until October, except in cases of genuine emergencies. Authorities have also compiled a list of 179 PTI leaders and workers, including current and former lawmakers.
District administrations have additionally issued preventive detention orders against several PTI workers under Section 3 of the Maintenance of Public Order Ordinance. The measures include 31 individuals named in one Punjab notification and another 14 in Toba Tek Singh.
Meanwhile, Adviser to the Prime Minister on Political Affairs Rana Sanaullah alleged that the PTI was preparing to bring armed supporters to Islamabad. He also warned that militants whom he described as “India-sponsored Fitna al-Khawarij” could exploit the protest to deepen tensions between the public and state institutions.
Sanaullah predicted that the planned protest would ultimately fail.
PTI Punjab Information Secretary Shaukat Basra, however, accused the authorities of conducting a coordinated crackdown against the party’s leadership and workers. He claimed that hundreds of PTI supporters, including women, had been detained during raids across the province.
Other PTI leaders also accused the provincial government of using force against party workers during preparations for an Eid Milad-un-Nabi event.
They further alleged that a large police contingent accompanied the funeral procession of PTI worker Ishtiaq Ahmad, who died while receiving treatment for burn injuries that the party claimed were sustained during police raids. The leaders also alleged that the funeral prayers were conducted hastily, preventing some of the deceased’s relatives from attending.
