Punjab government requests Rangers paramilitary deployment in four districts ahead of major PTI protest march on September 27.
Punjab’s government has asked federal authorities to station paramilitary Rangers in Rawalpindi, Attock, Jhelum and Mianwali from late September through early October to bolster law enforcement. The request comes as the PTI party prepares a major protest march in Islamabad on September 27 demanding the release of founder Imran Khan.
- ▪Punjab Home Department formally requested Rangers deployment in four districts from Sept 22 to Oct 5 under constitutional and legal provisions
- ▪Rawalpindi will receive three Rangers companies — one for the city proper, two for Taxila area — while Attock gets five wings and Jhelum and Mianwali each get one
- ▪PTI has announced a long march Sept 27 claiming it could attract around two million participants to press for Imran Khan’s release
- ▪Security preparations already underway: over 22,000 personnel led by eight DIGs will be deployed in Islamabad, 30,000+ in Attock district
- ▪Request was approved at Punjab cabinet’s Standing Committee on Law & Order meeting Sept 20 following police situational review
- ▪Federal government previously authorized three Army companies in Rawalpindi for six months of ‘sensitive security duties’ starting in August
- ▪Deployment authorized under Article 245 of Pakistan’s Constitution and sections of the Anti-Terrorism Act and Rangers Ordinance
- ▪Kissan Ittehad and PTI both announced long marches and sit-ins for the coming week in the federal capital
- ▪District administrations have used similar Article 245 deployments during past Muharram observances, elections, and terror alerts
Source: according to media reports
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