- Punjab Home Department cites persistent threat to public peace and law and order
- Ban on gatherings, arms display, and hate material to continue for another week across Punjab
- Talal Ch vows firm response, saying crackdown to mirror May 9 operations against PTI rioters
LAHORE: The Punjab Home Department on Saturday extended the enforcement of Section 144 across the province for another week, citing persistent security threats and the risk of violence amid continuing tensions with the Tehreek-i-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP).
The legal provision, which empowers district administrations to prohibit gatherings of four or more people for a specified period, was first imposed on Thursday and is due to expire today. Officials said the extension was necessary as intelligence reports indicated that the threat to public peace and law and order “had not abated.”
پنجاب بھر میں دفعہ 144 کے نفاذ میں توسیع
محکمہ داخلہ پنجاب نے صوبہ بھر میں دفعہ 144 کے نفاذ میں 7 یوم کی توسیع کر دی
پنجاب میں ہر قسم کے احتجاج، جلسے، جلوس، ریلیوں، دھرنوں، اجتماع اور ایسی تمام سرگرمیوں پر پابندی عائد
دفعہ 144 کے تحت چار یا زائد افراد کے عوامی مقامات پر جمع… pic.twitter.com/Vd1VJ5eZJG
— PTV News (@PTVNewsOfficial) October 18, 2025
The provincial order maintained a complete ban on the display of weapons, use of loudspeakers, and publication or distribution of inflammatory or sectarian material. Exemptions will continue for wedding ceremonies, funerals, and burials, while loudspeakers may only be used for sermons and calls to prayer in mosques.
According to the Home Department’s latest directive, the decision followed fresh threat assessments and inter-agency consultations, which concluded that large public gatherings could become soft targets for terrorists or be exploited by miscreants for anti-state activities.
“The continuance of restrictions is deemed essential to prevent any potential disturbance to public order, sectarian strife, or commission of any offence, and to ensure the safety and security of the lives and property of the general public,” the order stated.
Punjab remained largely peaceful on Friday, with no reports of violence or unrest following TLP’s call for protests against the police action in Muridke earlier this week. Authorities said law enforcement successfully maintained order, with traffic, businesses, and educational institutions operating normally.
Markets and shopping centres in Lahore remained open, and multinational fast-food chains resumed operations after days of tension. Officials said the calm reflected the restoration of the government’s writ following days of violent protests.
The unrest had erupted after a pre-dawn operation on Monday to dismantle TLP’s protest camp in Muridke, where the group had launched what it described as a “Gaza solidarity march” to Islamabad. The operation triggered clashes, widespread chaos, and mass arrests.
According to official figures, 2,716 people were arrested in the aftermath of the Muridke operation — including 251 by Lahore police and 178 by Sheikhupura police. The crackdown, officials said, is part of a broader strategy to neutralise the group’s capacity for violence and address threats it poses to law enforcers and minority communities.
Government sources said the decision followed high-level meetings reviewing TLP’s record of violent agitations, attacks on security personnel, and vandalism of Christian and Ahmadiyya places of worship.
Minister of State for Interior Talal Chaudhry reiterated that the government’s response to TLP’s violent activities would mirror the May 9, 2023, crackdown on PTI rioters.
The TLP was first banned in April 2021 on Punjab’s recommendation, but the proscription was lifted in November 2021 after an agreement with the group. Similar restrictions were re-imposed in June 2023 during another long march but later withdrawn after negotiations on June 17, 2023.
