Imran Khan’s health: Section 144 imposed in Rawalpindi as PTI plans mega protests

Amid persistent rumours regarding the health and rumours of death of former Pakistan prime minister Imran Khan, authorities have imposed Section 144 in Rawalpindi, effectively banning all public gatherings. The move comes as Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party announced protests demanding access to the jailed leader.

An order issued by Rawalpindi Deputy Commissioner Dr Hassan Waqar Cheema states that Section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (Punjab Amendment) Act, 2024, would remain in force from December 1 to December 3. Officials say the restrictions are necessary due to an “imminent threat” to public safety and order.

The order prohibits the following for three days:

All types of gatherings, including rallies, protests, sit-ins, demonstrations, and assemblies of five or more people

Carrying weapons, batons, sling shots, ball bearings, petrol bombs, or any object that could be used violently

Display of arms (except by law enforcement) and delivery of hate or inflammatory speeches

Attempting to defy police restrictions

Pillion riding

Use of loudspeakers

Officials say intelligence reports warn that certain groups are mobilising to disrupt law and order through large protests and may target soft locations or sensitive sites.

Meanwhile, Imran Khan has been imprisoned since August 2023 after being convicted in several cases he claims are politically driven. He is currently being held at Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi.

Khan’s family says they have been denied access to him for over a month despite a court order for weekly meetings. His sons, Kasim and Sulaiman Khan, have demanded verifiable proof that their father is alive.

Speaking to Reuters, Kasim said the family has had no confirmed communication with Khan for “a couple of months.”

“Not knowing whether your father is safe, injured, or even alive is a form of psychological torture,” he said, expressing fears that authorities may be hiding “something irreversible” about Khan’s condition.

Kasim earlier alleged that Khan has been kept “alone in a death cell in complete isolation.