Section 144 in Karachi, Punjab, Balochistan and Islamabad: What Is Banned and Until When

Section 144 orders now ban public gatherings in Karachi, Hyderabad, all of Punjab, all of Balochistan and Islamabad. The end dates are different in each place: 29 September in Hyderabad, 30 September in Karachi, 5 October in Punjab, about 22 October in Balochistan and about mid November in Islamabad, going by the dates reported for each order.

Most of these orders came in during the same week, ahead of the march on Islamabad that Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has called for 27 September. Each one is a separate legal order, with its own wording, its own officer and its own end date. So a rule you read about for Lahore may not be the rule in Quetta.

Everything below is as of 01:15 PKT on Friday 25 September 2026. We read Section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure and Section 188 of the Pakistan Penal Code on the government's own Pakistan Code website that night, so the penalty section comes from the law itself. Most of the order details come from press reports, because only one of the issuing offices has a public notifications page and the new order was not on it yet.

Five Section 144 orders cover Karachi, Hyderabad, Punjab, Balochistan and Islamabad

As of 25 September 2026, Section 144 bans gatherings in Karachi to 30 September, Hyderabad to 29 September, Punjab to 5 October, Balochistan for 30 days from 23 September and Islamabad for two months from 18 September, according to the reports listed below.

The Balochistan and Islamabad end dates are our own count from the length each order was reported to run. The order text would settle the exact last day. Dawn also reported a Section 144 order in Sukkur until 29 September, but gave no further detail, so we have left it out of the table.

Karachi's order bans gatherings of more than five people until 30 September

Karachi Commissioner Hassan Naqvi signed a Section 144 order on 24 September 2026. It bans gatherings of more than five people, including protests, sit-ins, rallies and processions, across Karachi until 30 September, Dawn reported just after midnight on 25 September.

The order cites police letters. According to Dawn, those letters said protests and sit-ins on major roads were causing severe traffic jams, blocking emergency services and restricting access to hospitals.

Note the wording. Dawn reports Karachi's limit as "more than five" people, which means six or more. Every other order in this list is reported as "five or more". One extra person is the difference, and only the order text settles which it is.

We checked the Commissioner Karachi notifications page at 01:15 PKT on 25 September. It lists earlier Section 144 orders on swimming, cattle markets and heavy traffic, but the newest item was dated 3 July 2026. The 24 September order was not there yet.

In Hyderabad district, Commissioner Fayaz Hussain Abbasi banned gatherings of five or more people from 25 to 29 September, 24NewsHD reported. The notice cited possible attacks on public gatherings and the security situation, and said violations fall under Section 188 of the Pakistan Penal Code.

Punjab and Balochistan orders run across the whole province for weeks

Punjab's order runs from 23 September to 5 October and Balochistan's for 30 days from 23 September. Both were issued by the provincial home department under Section 144(6), the part of the law that lets a province keep an order running longer.

The Punjab Home Department order bans gatherings of five or more people "in any public place, street, road, highway, motorway or open space", The Express Tribune reported. The Nation added that it bans carrying and displaying weapons and encouraging others to join unlawful gatherings. The reasons given in the order, as quoted by the Tribune, were a "serious and imminent threat to public peace" from militant groups and "Hostile Intelligence Agencies".

The reports we read do not say whether holders of a Punjab arms licence are exempt from the weapons ban, so do not assume they are.

Punjab also asked for Rangers in four districts until 5 October: Rawalpindi, Attock, Jhelum and Mianwali, according to the Tribune.

In Balochistan, Additional Chief Secretary (Home) Muhammad Hamza Shafqaat signed the order on 23 September, the Tribune reported. It bans gatherings of five or more people, including sit-ins, processions and rallies. It also bans carrying weapons in public "except where specifically authorised under the law". The Tribune said this is the third province-wide Section 144 order in Balochistan this year.

Balochistan's order also bans covering the face in public, and the two reports word it differently. The Tribune says "mufflers, masks or any other means". The Nation says covering the face "and wearing veils". We could not read the notification, so we cannot say which wording is in it.

Islamabad's order runs for two months alongside a separate assembly law

Islamabad's Section 144 order is dated 18 September 2026 and runs for two months. It bans gatherings of five or more people, processions, rallies and demonstrations anywhere public in the district, including the Red Zone, Dawn and The Express Tribune reported.

The order was signed by Additional District Magistrate Dr Anam Fatima. The district administration also pointed to the Peaceful Assembly and Public Order Act 2024 and said breaking the ban carries three years in prison, per Dawn.

We read that Act on Pakistan Code. It applies only to the Islamabad Capital Territory. Section 8 says a member of an "unlawful assembly" can get up to three years, a fine, or both. But the Act's own definition of an "assembly" is a gathering of "more than fifteen persons". The Section 144 order uses five. How the two fit together in a given case is for a court to decide, not us.

The same Act lets a person affected by a ban file a revision, meaning a request to review it, before the Chief Commissioner of Islamabad within 15 days of the order. Road closures around the capital are a separate matter. The six roads into Islamabad shut since 23 September were closed by the traffic police, not by this order.

What you can still do depends on the wording of your area's order

Only the Punjab order, as reported, lists exemptions: weddings, funerals, burials, worship, courts, government offices and events with formal permission. The reports on Karachi, Hyderabad, Balochistan and Islamabad list none. That does not mean weddings are banned there. It means the reports do not say.

Here is what the reports say is banned, taken together:

• Gatherings in public places above the limit in your area's order.
• Rallies, processions, sit-ins and demonstrations.
• Carrying or showing weapons in public, in Punjab and Balochistan.
• Covering the face in public, in Balochistan.

None of the orders, as reported, bans going to work, shopping or travelling on your own. They target groups, weapons and, in Balochistan, face coverings. Mobile internet is a separate question too. Any data suspension around the march would need its own order, as with past internet shutdowns in Pakistan.

The Constitution sets the frame. Article 16 says every citizen has "the right to assemble peacefully and without arms, subject to any reasonable restrictions imposed by law in the interest of public order". PTI has said peaceful protest is its constitutional right, Al Jazeera reported. The orders say they are needed for public safety. Whether any one order is reasonable is for the courts, and we make no finding on it.

Breaking a Section 144 order is an offence under Section 188 PPC

Disobeying a Section 144 order is punished under Section 188 of the Pakistan Penal Code. The law allows up to one month in jail or a Rs 600 fine, rising to six months or Rs 3,000 where the disobedience risks life, safety or a riot.

Section 188 adds an explanation that matters. The person does not need to intend harm. It is enough that they know about the order and that disobeying it causes harm or is likely to. So the order must be public, which is why these orders are announced and published.

Section 144 itself allows an order "to the public generally when frequenting or visiting a particular place". It must be in writing and state the facts of the case. Section 144(6) limits an order to a few days unless, where life or safety is at risk or a riot is likely, the provincial government extends it by notification in the official Gazette. That is the sub-section Punjab and Balochistan cited.

The same section also lets any affected person apply to have an order cancelled or changed. The officer must give them an early hearing and, if they refuse, record the reasons in writing. One caution: the version on Pakistan Code still names the "Zila Nazim", a post from the 2001 local government system. The orders this week were signed by home departments, commissioners and a district magistrate, so the text that applies in each province may carry later changes we did not trace.

This is general information, not legal advice. The order for your area is what counts.

Check whether an order covers your area in five steps

Find the order for your own district, read its dates and wording, and ask the local police or deputy commissioner's office if anything is unclear. Do not rely on a report about another province, because each order is separate.

1. Work out who governs your area: the district, the division and the province. Karachi and Hyderabad have separate orders even though both are in Sindh.
2. Look for the order from that officer: the commissioner or deputy commissioner, or the provincial home department. The Commissioner Karachi site has a notifications page, though the new order was not on it when we checked.
3. Read the start date, the end date and the number of people it bans. Check for exemptions such as weddings or funerals.
4. If you are planning an event, ask the deputy commissioner's office in writing for permission before the day. Punjab's order exempts events with formal permission.
5. If you are unsure, call police on 15, one of the emergency helpline numbers that work across Pakistan.

If a case is registered against someone you know under Section 188, you can check the FIR online in most provinces.

Section 144 is not only used for protests. The swimming bans in Punjab and Sindh in August used exactly the same power.

Common questions

Is Section 144 imposed in Karachi right now?

Yes. Karachi Commissioner Hassan Naqvi's order bans gatherings of more than five people from 24 to 30 September 2026, Dawn reported. Hyderabad district has a separate order from 25 to 29 September.

How long does Section 144 last in Punjab?

From 23 September to 5 October 2026, across the whole province, according to The Express Tribune and The Nation. The Punjab Home Department issued it under Section 144(6).

Can I hold a wedding during Section 144?

In Punjab, yes. The reported order exempts weddings, funerals and worship. For Karachi, Hyderabad, Balochistan and Islamabad the reports list no exemptions, so ask your deputy commissioner's office before a large event.

What is the punishment for breaking Section 144?

Up to one month in jail or a Rs 600 fine under Section 188 PPC, or up to six months or Rs 3,000 where there is a risk to life or of a riot. In Islamabad, the PAPO Act 2024 allows up to three years for an unlawful assembly.

Does Section 144 stop me going to work?

No order, as reported, bans going to work or travelling alone. They ban gatherings, rallies and, in some provinces, weapons. Road closures are separate and come from the traffic police.

Is face covering banned in Balochistan?

Balochistan's 30 day order bans covering the face in public, the Tribune and The Nation reported. They word it differently, one naming masks and mufflers and the other veils, and we could not read the order to settle it.

Last checked and sources

Last checked at 01:15 PKT on 25 September 2026. We read Section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure 1898 and Section 188 of the Pakistan Penal Code 1860 in the official PDFs on Pakistan Code, the Ministry of Law and Justice's statute site. We read Sections 2, 5 and 8 of the Peaceful Assembly and Public Order Act 2024, and Article 16 of the Constitution, on the same site. We checked the Commissioner Karachi notifications page, where the newest item was dated 3 July 2026. The order details are reported: Karachi by Dawn on 25 September; Hyderabad by 24NewsHD on 24 September; Punjab by The Express Tribune and The Nation on 23 September; Balochistan by The Express Tribune and The Nation on 24 September; Islamabad by Dawn on 23 September and The Express Tribune on 24 September. We could not read the Punjab, Balochistan, Sindh or Islamabad order texts themselves, because the Punjab and Balochistan home department sites did not respond and the ICT Administration site does not publish notifications. PTI's position is as reported by Al Jazeera. Nothing here alleges wrongdoing by any official or party. These orders change quickly; if you hold an order text that differs from what we report, tell us and we will correct it openly.