The Punjab government has decided to prohibit all forms of public gatherings and close schools and colleges in the province in the wake of a dual threat-the PTI party’s planned protests and the student demonstrations.
The government had imposed this restriction on people under Section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, stating that the procession was a source of grave concern for the security apparatus as well as for the maintenance of public order.
Background of Protests
The PTI has declared province-wide protests today against the proposed constitutional amendments and the arrest of their chief, Imran Khan. Furthermore, four-day protests have been underway against the alleged rape of a minor female college student in Lahore. Considering the scenario, the Punjab Home Department issued a notification for an all-stakeholder two-day ban on protests, processions, or any public activities. This ban will continue to stay on Friday and Saturday.
While issuing the statement, the Home Department said that terrorists and miscreants might target any type of gathering, which in turn would be serious security threats. The order highlighted the possibility of public disorder and inconvenience in case protest gatherings were allowed to proceed.
Schools and Colleges Closed
The Higher Education and School Education departments simultaneously announced that all the public and private schools, colleges, and universities would be closed today. Neither of the governments has made any formal announcement of the reason for the shutdown. However, a senior government official commented that it was a precautionary measure due to the increasing number of protest rallies by the students.
Violence has broken out in some cities of Punjab after breaking reports on social media that a young female student was raped at one of the colleges of Lahore. Although no evidence was found by the governmental investigation team regarding the rape claims, the unrest goes on with the demands of the students for justice.
Police Response and Arrests
Following the flare-up of agitations, law enforcement agencies have resorted to a crackdown against protesters. More than 380 people have been detained so far as protests spread to Rawalpindi. Authorities have detained people accused of stone-pelting and vandalism. The initial reports had put the number of detentions at around 150, and later there were 200 detentions as police reviewed the footage of CCTV cameras to determine participants in the disturbances.
Police spokesmen have hinted that most of the rioters were not students, raising questions about what culminated in the protests. Students from different colleges had gathered at different learning institutions and engaged in demonstrations where they barricaded roads, voiced slogans, and vandalized buildings among many other things.
The police resorted to tear gas in a bid to disperse the crowds, hoping it would regain order. After several incidents of violent confrontations, the police commissioner claimed that more teams were formed to search and arrest more suspects who incited violence through social media.
Judicial Procedure
At least eight cases have been registered against the protesters at six different police stations in Rawalpindi. A local magistrate in Jhelum released around 50 students, who had been arrested during the protest earlier. Though they were discharged, police confirmed that they would appeal the court’s decision to discharge of FIR against the students.
Similarly, internet and WhatsApp services were down in several cities, including Karachi and parts of Sindh. Data on Downdetector indicated most of the problems were concerning the issue of voice calls and messaging; consequently, this situation was further complicated in terms of communication of unrest.
The response of the Punjab government in taming public gatherings and closure of educational institutions depicts how seriously authorities take the current protests seriously. How the developments play out will indicate the response of the government and the protesters to public safety, students’ activism, and political dissent in the next few days. Given the tension and high concern level in the public, the province is gearing up for a very decisive period in its campaign for justice and political stability.
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