Pakistan: Authorities impose Section 144, ban public gatherings in Peshawar

Islamabad [Pakistan], March 20 (ANI): The local administration on Sunday imposed Section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC) in Pakistan's Peshawar to maintain law and order in the district. The deputy commissioner had banned gatherings of five or more people under Section 144 and it will remain in effect from March 18 to 22, The Express Tribune reported.
The deputy commissioner has warned that legal action will be taken under Section 188 of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC) in case of any violation, as per the news report.
he decision of the authorities comes as Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has been witnessing a rise in terrorist attacks targeting both security forces and people. In the past three months, security personnel have killed at least 142 terrorists to eliminate terrorism from Pakistan.
According to a recent report published in February, at least 1,007 terrorists were arrested by security forces in Pakistan in the past three months. A total of 1,960 operations were conducted in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa. As a result of operations, a total of 98 terrorists were killed and 540 were arrested in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, as per The Express Tribune report.
On March 13, two police officials were killed while five others were injured in terrorist attacks on police personnel deployed on census duty in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's Tank and Lakki Marwat districts, Dawn reported citing police and Rescue 1122.
Constable Khan Nawab was killed while police constables Shah Nawaz and Aslam Khan, Levies official Bismillah, Frontier Constabulary official Abdullah and driver Eid Jan were injured in an armed attack from terrorists on a police van deployed for the security of census staff in Tank's Kot Azam area.
A contingent of police reached the site, cordoned off the area and began a search operation, as per the news report. The injured were taken to District Headquarters Hospital Tank for medical treatment.
In another attack, two terrorists targeted Constable Dil Jan deployed on census duty in Lakki Marwat's Parwala village near Sadar police station, as per the Dawn report. Dil Jan died on the spot and terrorists managed to escape after the incident. A heavy police contingent arrived at the site and initiated a search operation.
Last week, a police personnel was killed while four others were injured in a terrorist attack targeting a census team in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's Dera Ismail Khan district. The outlawed terrorist group Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) claimed responsibility for the attack, as per the Dawn report.
Pakistan's law and order situation has worsened over the past few months, with terrorist groups launching attacks with near impunity across the country. As per the Dawn report, the TTP has intensified its attacks, particularly targeting the police in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and areas bordering Afghanistan since the terrorist group's talks with Pakistan broke down in November last year. (ANI)