Section 144 imposed in Karachi will bar gatherings of more than five people across the city till October 20, after the Karachi commissioner issued a notification on Sunday. Commissioner Syed Hassan Naqvi placed the ban on protests, demonstrations, sit-ins, rallies and processions for ten days, from October 11 to October 20. The order covers the whole Karachi Division. It applies to holding, organising, facilitating and taking part in such gatherings.
Section 144 imposed in Karachi over traffic and security concerns
The notification set out the administration’s reasoning in plain terms. Gatherings on major roads, junctions and roundabouts had been reported to cause severe traffic congestion across the city. Officials also cited security concerns and disruption to daily life. A further concern was access for emergency services. Blocked roads can delay ambulances and other vehicles trying to reach hospitals.
The order recorded an apprehension that gatherings could block roads, disrupt civic and commercial activity and lead to a deterioration in law and order. Section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code is the provision that empowers local authorities to restrict gatherings in such situations. Karachi’s administration has turned to it before. In late September, the city imposed a similar ban on gatherings of more than five people, which ran till September 30. This is therefore the second such order in the city in under a month.
A wider pattern of restrictions this month
Karachi is not the only city under such an order. Rawalpindi has been under a month-long restriction since earlier this month, as our report on the Section 144 ban in Rawalpindi recorded. The Karachi order also lands in a week of exceptional security measures elsewhere in the country. The federal cabinet imposed emergency and governor’s rule in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on Sunday, and the Pakistan Army was deployed in KP in aid of civil power. In Peshawar, containers blocked roads as the emergency took effect, while intercity bus services from Lahore were suspended amid the same tense weekend.
That context matters for Karachi’s residents and businesses. The city is Pakistan’s commercial capital, and its main arteries carry heavy daily traffic even in normal weeks. A ten-day ban on gatherings of more than five people will shape how political parties, trade bodies and student groups plan any activity in that period. Organisers who go ahead with a rally or sit-in during the ban risk action under the order. Commuters, meanwhile, should still expect checkpoints and diversions if any group tests the restriction.
What happens next
The ban runs till Monday, October 20, unless the administration extends or lifts it earlier. No extension had been announced when the notification was issued on Sunday. Political activity in Sindh will be the first test of the order, and police enforcement on main roads will show how strictly it is applied. Dawn’s report is here.
FAQ
What does the Karachi order ban?
It bans gatherings of more than five people across Karachi Division. That includes protests, demonstrations, sit-ins, rallies and processions, whether a person organises one or simply takes part.
How long does the ban last?
The notification runs from October 11 to October 20, 2026. It could be extended or lifted earlier, but no change had been announced when it was issued.
Why was Section 144 imposed in Karachi?
The administration cited severe traffic congestion from gatherings on major roads, security concerns, disruption to daily life and blocked access for emergency services and hospitals.
