The major opposition party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), has organized protests in key cities against the proposed 26th constitutional amendment, despite the imposition of Section 144, which prohibits public gatherings and demonstrations in Punjab and Sindh.
In Karachi, tensions escalated as police used tear gas and batons against PTI activists gathered near Empress Market to protest the government’s controversial judicial package. Supporters of the party also congregated at the Karachi Press Club, despite several roads leading to the Governor’s House being closed.
In response to the protests, the Karachi police implemented an alternative traffic plan due to the closure of major routes, including Sharea Faisal’s FTC bridge to Metropole and others around the Press Club.
DIG South Asad Raza announced that 1,200 police personnel were deployed in the city’s Red Zone during the PTI protests. The Karachi administration extended the enforcement of Section 144 for an additional two days, until October 19.
Similarly, the Punjab government imposed Section 144 across the province for October 18 and 19 and declared a holiday for all public and private educational institutions.
In Islamabad, security measures were intensified, with only one lane of the main road from Islamabad to Rawalpindi open for traffic, while the other was reserved for the public.
Rawalpindi saw police, led by Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Kamran Asghar, conducting a flag march in anticipation of PTI protests, with over 3,000 officials deployed citywide. Several PTI workers were arrested in various locations, including three women in Lahore and ten activists in Rawalpindi.
In Peshawar, PTI members protested outside the press club, voicing their opposition to the constitutional amendment and alleging that former Prime Minister Khan is being unlawfully imprisoned. They called for an end to his “maltreatment” in custody.
The PTI lawyer forum held a demonstration in Gujranwala against the proposed judicial changes outside a district court. In Faisalabad, police blocked key roads with trucks to prevent access to central markets, causing significant traffic congestion.
Additionally, in Sahiwal, police arrested PTI’s former MPA Rana Aftab and nine other workers for violating Section 144 while attempting to protest at Bhandari Chowk.
The party had announced a nationwide protest in response to the proposed constitutional package and Khan’s ongoing imprisonment, which has lasted over a year due to various charges. PTI’s political committee stated it would exert all efforts to prevent the passage of the amendments, which aim to establish a federal constitutional court and limit the tenure of the Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) to three years.
