PESHAWAR: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Inspector General of Police Zulfiqar Hameed has directed police officers not to facilitate any march, rally or procession heading towards Islamabad ahead of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) planned September 27 protest.
In a letter issued to relevant police officers, the KP police chief referred to the Islamabad High Court’s (IHC) September 14 order concerning the PTI’s planned protest and march on islamabad.
The IGP directed officers not to provide any official facilitation to rallies travelling towards Islamabad. He also instructed them to immediately inform him if they received any orders to facilitate the protest.
The letter warned that disciplinary action would be taken against police officers found violating the court’s directives.
The IHC had directed provincial governments to prevent the use of state funds, personnel, vehicles, machinery and other official resources for political protests and rallies.
The court also prohibited provincial authorities from forcing public servants to participate in political activities and ordered senior officials to communicate its directives to government employees.
The court’s ruling came in response to a petition challenging PTI’s planned nationwide protests and march on Islamabad.
In its 37-page verdict, the IHC said no political party or leader had a legal right to occupy public roads, highways, interchanges, toll plazas or public buildings in a way that obstructed citizens’ access to educational and medical facilities.
The court also declared that aggression by one federating unit against another or against the federation, including through a march or procession, was “unconstitutional, illegal and unlawful”.
The IHC noted that PTI activities in Islamabad in May 2022 and November 2024 had created serious security and law-and-order challenges.
It directed the Islamabad administration and the Ministry of Interior to ensure that activities within the federal capital did not violate the constitutional rights of other citizens.
PTI has announced a nationwide protest and march on Islamabad for September 27, demanding the release of party founder Imran Khan and calling for the supremacy of the Constitution.
The party has maintained that it will go ahead with the protest, while preparations for mobilisation continue across the country.