The Punjab Home Department has issued orders for the imposition of Section 144 throughout the province from 1st to 10th Muharram in an attempt to ensure law and order throughout the holy month.
In a notification released on Saturday, the provincial home department stated that every activity considered sensitive or capable of being provocative would be prohibited during this time, special security measures being put into place to avert sectarian violence.
No new religious processions or meetings shall be permitted in Muharram, as per the government’s official spokesperson. The government has also imposed an outright ban on the display of all kinds of weapons and firearms in public, even if a license has been obtained.
Furthermore, Section 144 will prevent any speeches, slogans, or gestures that are likely to cause religious or sectarian feelings. Any statements carried by any medium — social media, loudspeakers, or print media — inciting sectarian or racial hatred will also be strictly prohibited.
The notification further stated that pillion riding will be prohibited across Punjab on the 9th and 10th of Muharram. However, exemptions will be granted to senior citizens, women, and law enforcement officials.
As part of overall security, the erection of marquees or any other temporary structures on roof tops along procession routes has been banned.
“Spectators will not be permitted to congregate on rooftops or in front of stores along procession routes,” the spokesperson added.
The authorities have appealed to citizens to obey the regulations and threatened severe legal action against individuals found breaching the restrictions.
The Home Department once again made it clear that all the restrictions — except for the pillion riding ban — will remain in force from the 1st to the 10th of Muharram throughout Punjab.
