Punjab government seeks Rangers deployment in four districts — Dawn
The government of Pakistan's Punjab province has asked federal authorities to deploy Pakistan Rangers units in the districts of Rawalpindi, Attock, Jhelum and Mianwali from September 22 to October 5. They are to assist provincial police in maintaining law and order ahead of a protest scheduled for September 27, Dawn reports.
Kissan Ittehad and the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party have announced marches and sit-in protests in Islamabad next week. PTI plans a march to the capital on September 27 demanding the release of the party's founder, Imran Khan.
Request for deployment of forces
According to a letter from Punjab's Home Department to the Ministry of Interior and Narcotics Control, three companies of Rangers have been requested for Rawalpindi: one for Rawalpindi city and two for Taxila. Five Rangers units were requested for Attock, while Jhelum and Mianwali were requested one company each.
The matter was considered on September 20 at the 59th meeting of the Punjab Cabinet's Standing Committee on Law and Order. The committee took into account the police's situation assessment, the Islamabad High Court's ruling in case No. 4421/2026, and instructions from the Punjab government. The request is proposed to be processed in accordance with Article 245 of Pakistan's Constitution, provisions of the Anti-Terrorism Act of 1997, and the Pakistan Rangers Ordinance of 1959.
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Restrictions on gatherings and communications
Section 144 has been imposed in Punjab from September 23 to October 5. It prohibits gatherings, processions and assemblies of five or more people in public places, on highways and in open spaces, as well as incitement to unlawful assemblies.
The restrictions do not apply to weddings, funeral prayers, burials, gatherings at mosques and other places of worship, the work of courts and government or semi-government institutions, or events authorized by the local administration. Authorities have also prohibited carrying and displaying weapons in public places, except for law enforcement, intelligence and security personnel while performing their duties.
The Home Department explained the restrictions by threats to public peace and to the lives and property of the province's residents. Separately, the department asked the federal ministry to restrict or jam mobile and internet communications on the morning of September 27 in designated areas of Rawalpindi and throughout Attock district. The request covers, in particular, 2G, 3G and 4G networks in the area from Barahma-Bakhtar to M-1, as well as in the areas of Gango, Ahata, Taxila City, Wah Saddar, Thalian and Chakri.
