In a bid to maintain law and order in the country’s most populous province amid Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan’s arrest fiasco, the Punjab government on Saturday extended Section 144 for 4 days. The additional Home Secretary has also issued a notification. Section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure empowers the district administration to issue orders in the public interest that may place a ban on an activity for a specific period of time.

It is pertinent to mention that Section 144 was imposed on May 9 in the province after violent clashes broke out between PTI and security agencies following Khan’s arrest in the Al Qadir Trust case resulting in the arrest of hundreds of PTI workers in the province, while several policemen suffered injuries. Meanwhile, the caretaker administration tightened the noose around the party following countrywide protests, lodged FIRs against miscreants and arrested more than 2,000 protestors. 

Credit: Independent News Pakistan-INP