A notification from the Islamabad District Magistrate ordered that Section 144 be imposed in the Islamabad Capital Territory for two months, it emerged on Monday.
Section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code is a legal provision that empowers district administrations to prohibit an assembly of four or more people in an area for a limited period.
According to the notification — dated November 18 and available with Dawn — the order was imposed due to “certain segments of society … planning to organise unlawful assemblies … within the jurisdiction of Islamabad Capital Territory”.
It did not elaborate on what unlawful assemblies were expected to take place.
The order prohibits “all kinds of gatherings of five or more persons, processions/rallies and demonstrations at any public place within the Revenue Limits of District Islamabad, including the Red Zone”, the notification read.
The notification added that it is “necessary to control such types of illegal activities which present a threat to public peace, tranquillity and maintenance of law & order”.
“This order shall come into force with immediate effect and shall remain in force for a period of two months,” the notification read, with the order to be lifted on January 18, 2026.
