Section 144
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Senior Vice President Sher Afzal Khan Marwat, along with other party members, has been named in first information reports (FIRs) for organizing a workers’ convention in Mardan and Swabi in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The FIR, registered at Mardan’s Jabbar police station, includes charges against 21 local PTI leaders and over 100 workers for violating Section 144.
Among those mentioned in the FIR are former MPAs Iftikhar Ali Mashwani, Abdus Salam Afridi, Zahir Shah, Amir Farzand Khan, and Tofail Anjum, along with several district leaders of the party. Similar charges were filed in Swabi against Marwat, 21 local PTI leaders, and others for violating Section 144. Earlier, on November 27, Marwat was booked in Islamabad for holding a musical night where he allegedly spoke against the state and government.
Despite authorities denying permission, PTI announced its plan to hold a workers’ convention in Karak on November 25. In a video message on November 26, Marwat urged workers to attend the convention, anticipating attempts to halt the event. The PTI had previously faced a crackdown after the May 9 riots in KP’s Charsadda district.
Marwat, who participated in the convention in Charsadda, stated that former Prime Minister Imran Khan entrusted him with organizing rallies and party conventions nationwide. He highlighted the success of workers’ conventions in KP and announced plans to extend them to Punjab, expressing confidence in garnering widespread support.
The ongoing tensions between PTI and authorities over holding events without official permission underscore the party’s determination to engage with its grassroots supporters, even in the face of legal challenges and opposition from government authorities.
