PTI Aug 5 protest ban took effect late Monday after Deputy Commissioner Hassan Waqar Cheema imposed Section 144 across Rawalpindi district from 4 to 10 August.
The order, issued hours before Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s planned nationwide demonstrations.
Pindi administration bars gatherings of five or more people, rallies, sit-ins, loudspeakers and even pillion riding.
It also outlaws carrying batons, ball bearings or fuel that could be used as weapons.
PTI Aug 5 protest ban: ‘imminent threat’ cited, jail security tightened
The administration said the District Intelligence Committee had warned of an “imminent threat” to sensitive roads and installations.
Officials claim unnamed groups aim to exploit the protest call and spark violence near “soft targets.”
Adiala Jail, where Imran Khan has been held since August 2023 in the £190 million case, asked police for extra barricades and surveillance, saying PTI workers regularly gather outside the facility.
PTI insists its August 5 action will be decentralised, with members staging local demonstrations to mark the party chief’s second year in custody.
PTI’s previous attempts to protest in a peaceful manner were turned into a badly violent demonstration like May 9.
While party lawyer Salman Akram Raja says no single venue is planned, the Rawalpindi ban covers any street assembly and authorises police to break up crowds instantly.
Minister of State for Interior Talal Chaudhry told private media the federal government had received only vague requests from PTI.
The party’s “internal divisions” explain the lack of formal approvals.
He nonetheless acknowledged PTI’s right to protest, so long as permits are secured.
The Lahore High Court is still considering a PTI petition to rally at Minar-e-Pakistan.
Monday’s blanket restrictions in Rawalpindi and the corresponding security ring around Adiala Jail; signal how tightly authorities intend to police the PTI Aug 5 protest ban in the capital’s twin city.
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