The Patriotic Front has confirmed its strategy to restrict public gatherings using the police by ordering parliamentarians to seek permission from officers each time they want to meet their constituents.
Home Affairs Minister Edgar Lungu said in a ministerial statement that the parliamentarians should contact the police whenever they visit their constituents.
Lungu said the Patriotic Front government had no intentions of doing away with the Public Order Act.
He said the demand on the MPs to inform the police was to ensure that there was peace and order in the country.
Opposition lawmakers have been enduring harassment from the police whenever they visit their constituencies with Lubansenshi MP Patrick Mucheleka having been detained in his constituency.
Under the Patriotic Front government rallies, demonstrations or any other forms of public gatherings including featuring on radio programmes by opposition members have been suspended with the police religiously turning down any political party or organization applying for a permit.
Opposition leaders have so far endured arrests while beatings by arrmed PF cadres under a militia operated by Secretary General Wynter Kabimba for those that dare oppose them or go ahead with the meetings are commonplace.
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