Punjab ‘seeks mobile, internet shutdown' amid PTI's proposed long march

• Punjab’s Home Department writes letter to Centre.
• Seeks suspension of internet in parts of Attock, Rawalpindi.
• Two major highways linking Islamabad to KP "closed".
  

ISLAMABAD: Punjab’s Home Department has reportedly asked the federal government to downgrade mobile and internet services in specific areas from September 27 amid a possible long march of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), well-placed sources said on Wednesday.

The development came as the PTI prepares for a nationwide protest and march towards Islamabad on September 27, demanding the release of its incarcerated founder Imran Khan and supremacy of the Constitution.

According to sources, the Punjab Home Department has written to the federal government seeking the suspension of mobile and internet services, as well as the weakening of signals, in selected areas of Attock and Rawalpindi.

In Rawalpindi, the requested areas include Brahma, Bahter, Taxila, Wah Sadar and Chakri, according to sources.

Earlier in the day, the provincial government sought Rangers’ deployment in four districts to maintain law and order in the backdrop of PTI’s September 27 protest call.

The Punjab Home Department written to the Ministry of Interior seeking Rangers' deployment in Rawalpindi, Attock, Jhelum and Mianwali, according to its spokesperson.

The Home Department requested three Rangers companies for Rawalpindi and recommended five wings for Attock. Jhelum and Mianwali will each have one Rangers company, the spokesperson said.

Section 144 imposed across Punjab

Separately, the Punjab government has imposed Section 144 across the province until October 5, according to a notification issued by the Home Department.

The notification prohibits gatherings of five or more people at public places, roads and open spaces, as well as rallies, processions, sit-ins and demonstrations.

It also bans carrying and displaying weapons at public places and prohibits encouraging people to participate in unlawful gatherings.

The restrictions do not apply to wedding ceremonies, funeral prayers, burials, mosques and other places of worship.

Meanwhile, the federal government tightened security in the federal capital, blocking major highways with shipping containers and deploying tens of thousands of security forces.

Ahead of Sunday's planned march, authorities detained three of Khan's sisters and hundreds of party activists in recent days, citing a need to maintain public order.

The PTI's last large-scale protest two years ago ended in deadly clashes with security forces.

Security stepped up, two highways shut

Nearly 35,000 additional police and paramilitary personnel have been stationed in and around the capital, an Interior Ministry official said on Wednesday, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to speak publicly.

More have been deployed in other parts of the country where protesters may gather.

Two major highways linking Islamabad to the northwestern province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, governed by Khan's party, have also been closed until further notice, the National Highway Authority said.

Shipping containers were seen being placed in recent days to barricade Islamabad's government district, home to parliament, the prime minister's residence, and foreign embassies.

Khan, 73, a former cricket star ousted by parliament in a 2022 no-confidence vote, has claimed to be a political prisoner.

On Monday, Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi warned that police were told to respond forcefully if the march turned violent, adding, "It is not like that they come and they fire shots, and you do nothing."

'March will proceed'

PTI Chairman Gohar Khan said the march would proceed despite the blockade.

It comes more than a month after the government defied a court order and refused Khan treatment in a private hospital, despite mounting concerns over his health.

The protest also coincides with public discontent over inflation and rising fuel prices that has spread beyond Khan's core supporters.

Khan's 2023 arrest sparked nationwide riots that threatened the standing of the Pakistani military in unprecedented ways when protesters stormed military installations.

Cases against him ranged from concerns over state gifts to instigating violent attacks on military and state installations, and an accusation of an unlawful marriage.

All convictions but one have since been suspended or overturned, with appeals pending. He ⁠denies wrongdoing.

— With additional input from Reuters