Punjab braces for Feb 8 PTI protest with new riot unit

The Punjab government has established a Riot Management Unit ahead of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and Tehreek-e-Tahaffuz-e-Ain Pakistan’s (TTAP) nationwide strike and protest scheduled for February 8, it emerged on Monday.  The newly formed unit under Article 31A of the Police Order, 2002, will be responsible for managing riots and unlawful assemblies across the province. Operating under the supervision of the provincial police officer, it will be equipped with modern crowd-control tools, including water cannons, rubber bullets, tear gas shells, specialised vehicles, and armoured personnel carriers. In parallel, special sessions courts will conduct summary trials for protest-related cases, with verdicts to be delivered within 30 days. Under the newly approved framework, protesters, organisers and facilitators will be held equally responsible for any unrest. Cases arising from protests will be tried through summary proceedings, with strict penalties prescribed for offenders. Amendments to the Punjab Police Order designate protest organisers, local facilitators, and participants as collectively liable for any unrest, vandalism, or loss of life and property. To further strengthen enforcement, special anti-riot committees comprising deputy commissioners and regional police officers have been established. The government has also approved the creation of anti-riot zones across districts and tehsils, particularly along routes from Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa to Adiala Jail and from Lahore to Adiala Jail. Area zoning has already begun, with each zone to be headed by an officer of the rank of deputy superintendent of police or assistant superintendent of police. Under the amended law, arrested protesters may face up to 10 years’ imprisonment, a fine of Rs500,000, and compensation for property damage. Compensation will be recovered through the sale of the convicted individuals’ movable and immovable property. Those accused of facilitating protests—whether present at the scene or not—may face up to three years’ imprisonment and a fine of Rs100,000. Surveillance measures, including the installation of CCTV cameras along protest routes and the use of drones to identify participants, will also be implemented. All protest locations will be declared riot zones, and the amended law will be enforced in full to curb unrest.

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