The Punjab Home Department and Islamabad’s local administration have imposed Section 144 across the province and the federal capital in anticipation of nationwide protests scheduled for Friday by Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI). This legal provision empowers district administrations to prohibit the assembly of four or more people in an area for a limited period to maintain law and order and prevent potential disturbances.
PTI leader Asad Qaiser announced the protests, set for July 26, to demand the release of political prisoners, including former Prime Minister Imran Khan. Additionally, Mehmood Khan Achakzai, chief of the Pashtunkhwa Milli Awami Party (PkMAP) and head of the opposition alliance Tehreek Tahaffuz Ayeen-i-Pakistan (TTAP), along with Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman, have also announced major protests supporting the same cause.