Pakistan: Section 144 implemented in Pishin before the opposition’s gathering

Section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC) has been implemented in Pishin before the planned joint opposition gathering on April 13, ARY News reported.

The Deputy Commissioner of Pishin notified saying, “Section 144 has been imposed to ensure public safety and maintain law and order.”

This regulation prohibits gatherings of more than five people within the city and strictly forbids the obstruction of main highways and roads, ARY News said.

This action comes in response to the declaration made by the recently established Tehreek Tahafuz-e-Aaeen (Constitution Protection Movement), comprising six opposition parties, to organize a public event in Pishin.

The alliance, chaired by Mahmood Khan Achakzai, named itself “Tehreek Tahafuz-e-Aaeen” against the government.

In a meeting hosted by Balochistan National Party (BNP) leader Sardar Akhtar Mengal, and attended by Omar Ayub from the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, Sahibzada Hamid Raza representing the Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC), Mahmood Khan Achakzai from the Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party (PkMAP), Allama Nasir Abbas of Majlis-e-Wadhat-e-Muslimeen (MWM), and Liaquat Baloch of Jamaat-e-Islami (JI), it was agreed that Mahmood Achakzai would head the coordination committee.

Omar Ayub has confirmed that two public gatherings are scheduled to take place in Balochistan on Saturday, April 13, ARY News reported.

The Baloch Yakjehti Committee persisted with its demonstrations protesting the purported enforced disappearances of Baloch individuals on Friday. Specifically, the committee emphasized the case of Naeem Rehmat, who was allegedly subjected to enforced disappearance on March 17, 2022, from Aman Aatoz Turbat.

Despite ongoing protests, including a recent demonstration on Eid, intended to secure his safe release, the committee lamented the administration’s lack of a substantial response, which exacerbates the anguish and uncertainty for Naeem Rehmat’s family. Since Eid, the family has been staging protests, obstructing the CPEC Road in Shapuk. The BY Committee has appealed to the people in the vicinity to show their support.