The Punjab government has requested the federal government to deploy Rangers in Rawalpindi, Attock, Jhelum and Mianwali districts from Sept 22 to Oct 5 to assist the provincial police in maintaining law and order amid an expected protest on Sept 27.
The request comes as the Kissan Ittehad and PTI have announced long marches and sit-ins in Islamabad in the coming week.
PTI has announced a long march on Sept 27 to press for the release of its founder, Imran Khan.
The letter, a copy of which is available with Dawn, said Rangers had been requested for deployment in Rawalpindi, Attock, Jhelum and Mianwali from Sept 22 to Oct 5.
According to a letter sent by the Punjab Home Department to the Ministry of Interior and Narcotics Control, three companies of the Pakistan Rangers have been sought for deployment in Rawalpindi, including one for Rawalpindi city and two for Taxila.
Five Rangers wings have been sought for Attock, while Jhelum and Mianwali have each been allocated one company.
The deployment is proposed under Article 245 of the Constitution of Pakistan, 1973, Sections 4 and 5 of the Anti-Terrorism Act, 1997, and Sections 7(b) and 10 of the Pakistan Rangers Ordinance, 1959.
The letter said the matter was discussed threadbare at the 59th meeting of the Standing Committee of the Cabinet on Law & Order (SCCLO) of the Punjab government, held on Sept 20.
The meeting considered the situational review presented by police authorities, the orders of the Islamabad High Court (IHC) in Writ Petition No. 4421/2026, and instructions issued by the S&GAD, Government of Punjab, through a letter dated Sept 19, 2026, it stated.
“After due consideration, it was authorised that the requisition be sent to the ministry of interior, for requisition of troops ensuring law and order in the districts mentioned above,” the letter stated.
The letter asked the ministry to take further necessary action and intimate the Punjab Home Department accordingly.
Section 144 declared
Separately, Section 144 has been enforced across Punjab for 13 days, with a complete ban imposed on the assembly, processions, or gathering of five or more people in public places, on highways, or in open spaces across Punjab. Inciting people to unlawful assembly is also prohibited.
The ban does not apply, however, to wedding ceremonies, funeral prayers, burials, or gatherings at mosques and other places of worship. Courts of law, government or semi-governmental organisations’ official duties, and events held with official permission from the deputy commissioner of the concerned district are also exempt.
A complete ban has also been imposed on carrying or displaying weapons of any kind in public places, according to an order issued by the Punjab Home Department. This ban exempts personnel of law enforcement agencies (LEAs), intelligence agencies (IAs) and security agencies on official duty.
The order, a copy of which is available with Dawn, said that Section 144 was imposed in view of serious threats to public peace, tranquillity, and the lives and property of citizens across Punjab.
“Multiple threat alerts have been received from IAs regarding possible terrorist activities being planned by such hostile agencies by employing suicide bombers, Vehicle-Borne Improvised Explosive Devices (VBIEDs) and target killings during large public gatherings across Punjab to create mayhem, social unrest and disrupt public peace and tranquillity,” it said, noting that “gatherings, rallies, public meetings, sit-ins, processions, and demonstrations” could become potential soft targets for terrorist attacks. The order has been enforced immediately and is to remain in effect for 13 days.
In addition, the department also sent a letter to the interior ministry requesting mobile and internet services at specific locations in Rawalpindi and Attock to be downgraded or jammed on Sept 27 due to the “expected law and order situation”.
The letter asked for 2G, 3G and 4G networks to be jammed at specified locations in Rawalpindi city, which it said would be communicated later. It also requested the same for Barahma Bahtar to M-1, Gango, Ahata, Taxila City, Wah Saddar, Thalian, and Chakri. It also requested to downgrade mobile and internet services throughout Attock district.
The decision to disrupt mobile and internet signals was made at the request of police to maintain law and order, according to the Home Department.
Preparations in the Rawalpindi Division and the federal capital territory to maintain security and deal with any emergency situation are in full swing in light of the potential long march by the PTI and other protests in Islamabad.
More than 22,000 security personnel led by eight DIGs will be deployed in the federal capital and over 30,000 in the Attock district, which connects Khyber Pakhtunkhwa with Punjab.
In Aug, the federal government authorised the deployment of three companies of the Pakistan Army in Rawalpindi for six months to perform “sensitive security duties” and respond to any unforeseen situation.
The deployment was approved more than a month before the planned PTI march towards Islamabad. The party claims that the Sept 27 long march could draw around two million participants.
District administrations in Punjab have previously sought army assistance under Article 245 during Muharram, election periods, and times of heightened terror alerts. With the deployment approved for an initial period of six months “with immediate effect”, the army units will be placed at the disposal of the Rawalpindi district administration and will perform duties as assigned by the civilian authorities.
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