- DIG Security Division issues directives to KP police personnel.
- The police ordered to avoid participating in political activity.
- Asked to stay in theirs legal and geographic jurisdictions.
PESHAWAR: Police officials in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa have been asked to perform their duties within their legal and geographical jurisdictions amid concerns expressed by the Center over the use of state machinery by the PTI-led provincial government for political demonstration.
In an official circular sent to senior officers across the province, Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Security Division Shakir Hussain Dawar reminded police personnel that they are bound to maintain neutrality and must not engage in any political activity.
The directive strengthens existing rules that prohibit members of the law enforcement force from joining a political group or participating in their demonstrations and rallies.
The instructions come amid concerns in the federal government that the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) may try to use the provincial police for political purposes as the party plans to stage a protest outside the Islamabad High Court (IHC) today.
PTI’s KP branch spokesperson Adeel Iqbal said the party had decided to hold the rally on December 2 (today). speaks to Pakinomist news on Saturday he claimed, “This time there will be a well-defined strategy to meet the PTI founder.”
He warned that the party would respond to “any illegal act against them”, adding that the days of “those who violated the constitution were numbered”.
Chief Minister KP Sohail Afridi has been repeatedly denied permission to meet the jailed PTI founder in Adiala jail – the latest refusal being the eighth since he took office. After the latest refusal last week, he spent the night outside Adiala prison.
He was later joined by Mahmood Khan Achakzai, leader of Tehreek Tahaffuz Ayeen-e-Pakistan (TTAP), Majlis Wahdat-e-Muslimeen (MWM) Chief Allama Raja Nasir Abbas, Mishal Yousafzai, Senator Gurdeep Singh, Senator Ahmed Rubina Naz, MNA Zulfi Jans Information Minister and KP
In light of today’s protest announcement, authorities in the capital have reiterated that Section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code remains in force in Islamabad, prohibiting protests, demonstrations or public gatherings. The district administration warned that immediate action would be taken against any illegal activity.
“Police and other law enforcement agencies have been put on high alert,” the statement said, adding that all security agencies will work together to maintain order. Citizens were advised to avoid activities declared illegal under section 144.
Meanwhile, Rawalpindi Deputy Commissioner Hasan Waqar Cheema also imposed Section 144 in the city from December 1 to 3.
Meanwhile, the sons of the jailed former prime minister have expressed fears that authorities may be hiding “something irreversible” about his condition after more than three weeks without any verifiable information about his well-being.
Kasim Khan told Reuters that, despite the right to weekly meetings, the family had not had direct contact with him, giving rise to speculation about a possible transfer to another undisclosed location or deterioration of his health.
The PTI founder has been in jail since August 2023 after he was removed from office through a no-confidence vote in April 2022.
