PESHAWAR: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Inspector General of Police Zulfiqar Hameed has instructed police officials across the province to refrain from facilitating any rally, procession or march travelling to Islamabad ahead of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) September 27 protest.
The directive follows the Islamabad High Court’s September 14 order requiring provincial governments to ensure that public funds, government personnel, official vehicles, machinery and other state resources are not used for political rallies or marches.
According to a letter issued by the KP police chief to relevant officers, no police official should provide assistance or facilitation to participants heading towards the federal capital. Officers have also been directed to immediately report any instructions seeking such assistance.
The IGP warned that departmental or disciplinary action could be initiated against officials found acting in violation of the court’s directions.
The IHC had issued its directives while disposing of a petition challenging the PTI’s planned September 27 march and nationwide protests. The court held that political parties and leaders could not lawfully occupy roads, highways, interchanges, toll plazas or public buildings in a way that restricts citizens’ access or movement.
The court also directed provincial authorities to ensure that government employees were neither compelled nor encouraged to participate in political marches and that official resources were not deployed for such activities.
In its detailed 37-page judgment issued later, the IHC said the right to peaceful assembly was protected by the Constitution but remained subject to legal restrictions where such activities infringed upon the fundamental rights of other citizens.
The judgment also referred to law-and-order incidents during PTI protests in Islamabad in May 2022 and November 2024 while examining concerns surrounding the proposed September 27 march.
The PTI has announced nationwide demonstrations and a march towards Islamabad for September 27, with the party demanding the release of its founder Imran Khan and calling for the supremacy of the Constitution.
The party has maintained that preparations for the planned protest will continue and that it intends to proceed with the announced mobilisation.
