ISLAMABAD: Former Prime Minister Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party as well as a government spokesman both ruled out negotiations ahead of a planned protest by the PTI in the federal capital on Nov. 24, while police warned of action against supporters if they violated a ban on public gatherings.

The denials follow widespread reports on electronic and social media of negotiations between PTI and the government as the party prepares to lead a ‘long march’ to the capital on Sunday over alleged rigging in Feb. 8 general elections and to call for the release of political prisoners, including Khan, and in support of the independence of the judiciary. 

On Monday, just days ahead of the protest, the district magistrate imposed a two-month-long ban on the gathering of more than five people in Islamabad using Section 144 of the Pakistan Penal Code, which allows the government to prohibit various forms of political assembly, gatherings, sit-ins, rallies, demonstrations, and other activities for a specified period.

Pakistan’s parliament also passed a law earlier this year to “regulate” public gatherings in Islamabad, including by specifying timings for rallies and designating specific areas. The law has set three-year jail terms for participants of ‘illegal’ assemblies, with ten-year imprisonment for repeat offenders.

“There is no contact between the PTI and government,” Khan’s close aide, Sayed Zulfikar Bukhari, told Arab News, saying the party intended to go ahead with its protest plan.

 “We intend to stay within the law and within our constitutional right of peaceful assembly,” he added.

Barrister Daniyal Chaudhry from the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PMLN) ruling party, who is a parliamentary secretary of information and broadcasting, said the law would “take its course” against violators of the newly passed Peaceful Assembly and Public Order Act, 2024.

“Section 144 has been imposed, and under the clearly defined process of the Peaceful Assembly and Public Order Act, 2024, anyone violating the law will be dealt with strictly, as it is the government’s responsibility to protect the lives and property of the people,” Chaudhry told Arab News.

“There will be no tolerance for [breaking the law] and definitely the law will take its course.”

Chaudhry also said there had been no contact between the PTI and the government ahead of Sunday’s protest.

“As of now, there is nothing from the official channel and if it has not been done till now then I don’t think they [PTI] are in a mood to take the government on board,” he added.

Responding to a question about the deployment of paramilitary, army and other security agencies to assist police on the day of the protest, the PMLN leader said the government would do everything necessary to ensure the security of the residents of Islamabad:

“It is an utmost priority for the government to ensure the protection of the people.”

Nazia Rafiq, a spokesperson for Islamabad Police, said the law enforcement agency would ensure that laws were followed. 

“Section 144 has been imposed by the district administration, and it is our responsibility to adhere to state policies and ensure the implementation of the rule of law but so far, everything is under control,” she told Arab News.

“However, if any unlawful activity occurs, the police will handle it in accordance with the law and the directions provided.”

The PTI’s recent rallies and marches, organized to create pressure for Khan’s release from prison, have been thwarted by similar bans on public gatherings. 

Khan has been in jail since August 2023 and has faced dozens of cases since he was removed as prime minister in 2022 after which he launched a protest movement against a coalition of his rivals led by current Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and backed by the all-powerful military, which denies interfering in politics. 

Khan says the cases against him, which disqualified him from contesting the February elections, are politically motivated. 

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday called for prioritizing economic and political stability over “sit-ins and long marches,” in a veiled reference to the opposition Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party, which has announced it will hold an anti-government protest in Islamabad on Nov. 24. 

PTI announced last week it would lead a ‘long march’ to the capital on Sunday over alleged rigging in Feb. 8 general elections and to call for the release of political prisoners, including jailed founder ex-Prime Minister Imran Khan, and in support of the independence of the judiciary. Recent protests by the party have seen clashes between police and supporters and led to the government shutting down cities and main highways to keep crowds from gathering. The government also imposed a two-month ban on public gatherings in Islamabad on Monday. 

The PTI, arguably the country’s most popular party, has a history of drawing huge crowds to rallies.

“The country’s progress and prosperity, stability of economy, and political stability are interlinked with each other, and without it no society can move ahead,” Sharif said as he addressed the National Action Plan’s apex committee meeting in Islamabad, attended by his cabinet, provincial chief ministers and the three armed services chiefs. 

“It is imperative for progress and prosperity that there needs to be economic and political stability, and you all have to play a role for it,” he said. “We have to decide whether to hold dharnas, long marches, or work for the progress and prosperity [of the country]. It is all up to us.”

The meeting had been called to discuss a rise in militant attacks in recent months, particularly in Pakistan’s northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and southwestern Balochistan provinces. Attacks in KP are mostly claimed by Tehreek-e Taliban Pakistan (TTP) militants while Balochistan has been plagued by a worsening separatist insurgency by ethnic militants.

“If we want to advance national development, national unity, political unity, then it is connected to the elimination of terrorism, without it, nothing will advance. I think that this is the biggest challenge of Pakistan today,” Sharif said. 

“So for me, as the head of this country, for you [army chief], as the head of the army, we have no choice but to first crush terrorism. After that, it is about economy, it is about production, employment and prosperity.”

Analysts say the government is lacking a “holistic approach” to address rising ethnic militancy and political violence in the country and achieve economic stability.

“Amid political polarization, ethnic militancy in KP and Balochistan provinces is emerging as a new challenge for Pakistan that needs to be addressed through a comprehensive approach and with the support of all segments of the society,” Dr. Qamar Cheema, executive-director at Sanober Institute in Islamabad, told Arab News.

Tahir Malik, a political analyst and professor at the National University of Modern Languages in Islamabad, said the government should open dialogue with the PTI to find a political solution to all problems, 

“The prime minister should walk the talk to achieve political and economic stability by engaging the opposition in constructive dialogue ahead of the planned PTI protest,” Malik said.