Section 144 imposed throughout Balochistan for one month

QUETTA: The Balochistan government on Sunday imposed Section 144 across the province for a month.

In a notification available with Dawn, the provincial government imposed a complete ban on gatherings of five or more than five persons, including sit-ins, processions, or rallies throughout the province for 30 days, effective immediately.

The ban also extended to covering faces in public places, “particularly through the use of mufflers, masks, or any other means that obstruct identification”, as well as the display or use of weapons, pillion riding, tinted glasses on vehicles and using unregistered motorcycles.

In light of the development, Special Assistant to the Home Department Babar Khan Yousafzai, in a statement, said that security had been placed on high alert.

“If Fitna-al-Khawarij and Fitna-al-Hindustan make any attempt of any misadventure, they will be met with full force,” he said, adding that security forces remained ready to thwart such attempts and all institutions remained on high alert.

The state uses the term Fitna-al-Khawarij for terrorists associated with the proscribed Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan, while Fitna-al-Hindustan is used for Balo­chistan-based terrorist groups.

It should be mentioned that on Wednesday, five soldiers, including a major-ranked officer, were martyred during an area sanitisation operation in Balochistan’s Barkhan district.

In April, nine people working at a copper and gold project site in Chagai district were killed in an armed attack by unidentified assailants, according to officials.