The Karachi Commissionerate has issued a notification to impose Section 144 for a period of 48 hours from December 31, it was learned on Sunday.
On New Year’s Eve in Karachi, citizens conduct aerial firing and use fireworks that have caused injuries in the past.
On December 31, 2023, then commissioner Muhammad Saleem Rajput imposed Section 144 “to safeguard the people of the city during New Year celebrations.”
According to a notification, the commissioner, in exercise of delegated powers by the provincial home department, imposed the ban from December 31 to January 1, 2024.
Article 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code is a legal provision that empowers district administrations to prohibit a gathering of four or more people in an area for a limited period.
According to the December 24 notification, a copy of which is available with dawn.comCommissioner Syed Hassan Naqvi imposed the ban based on information that “a large number of youth from different areas of the city will move to Seaview on motorcycles and cars for the New Year celebrations.”
The notification adds that the presence of these people generates traffic jams and inconvenience to “the residents of the area.”
The Southern Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG) sought a ban on displaying firearms, aerial firing and use of fireworks to “safeguard the precious lives of citizens”.
The commissioner noted that on New Year’s Eve, “some people engage in aerial firing which may cause untoward incidents or loss of human life.”
A “complete ban on carrying/displaying of arms, aerial firing and use of firecrackers on New Year’s Eve 2025” was notified, a ban applicable within the local limits of Karachi from December 31 to January 1, 2025.
