LAHORE: The Punjab government has imposed Section 144 across the province from September 23 to October 5 amid security concerns.
A notification issued by the Punjab Home Department under Section 144(6) of the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1898, imposed an immediate ban on public gatherings across the province.
Under the notification, gatherings of five or more people at public places, roads and open spaces have been prohibited. The restrictions also cover political rallies, processions, sit-ins and demonstrations.
The government has also prohibited the carrying and public display of all kinds of weapons at public places. Inviting or encouraging people to participate in gatherings declared unlawful under the order will also attract legal action.
However, the restrictions do not apply to certain essential and routine activities. These include wedding ceremonies, funeral prayers and burials, mosques, imambargahs and other places of worship and their routine gatherings.
Courts, government offices and institutions have also been exempted from the restrictions, along with events held with formal administrative permission.
The notification further stated that law-enforcement personnel, intelligence agencies and security officials deployed on duty would remain exempt from the restrictions.
