LAHORE – Troops of Pakistan Army held flag march in order to maintain law and order situation in different areas roiled by violence following the arrest of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Imran Khan in a corruption case.
Reports said the flag march was held in Lahore, Rawalpindi, Peshawar and other cities a day after the Interior Ministry approved the military deployment in Islamabad, Punjab, and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to tackle the situation simmering due to protests by the supporters of the former prime minister.
A notification issued by the ministry said it was “pleased to authorise the deployment of army troops and assets for maintaining the law and order situation across Punjab in aid of civil power”.
The decision for army deployment was taken under Article 245 (functions of armed forces) of the Constitution and Section 4 (3) (ii) of the Anti-Terrorism Act, 1997 (to discharge such functions as specified in the said act).
Saying the exact number of troops and areas of deployment would be decided by the provincial governments’ in consultation with Military Operations Directorate, General Headquarters, the notification said: “The date of requisitioning the of the said deployment will be decided subsequently after mutual consultation among both the stakeholders”.
As protests continue in parts of the country, police have arrested hundreds of PTI workers. At least eight people have lost their lives in clashes between the protesters and police in Peshawar, Lahore and other cities.
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