Section 4: Prohibition of quasi-military organisations

4. Prohibition of quasi-military organisations.—(1) If the members of adherents of any association of persons, whether incorporated or not, are___ (a) organised or trained or equipped for the purpose of enabling them to be employed in usurping the functions of the police or of the armed forces of Pakistan ; or (b) organised and trained or organised and equipped either for the purpose of enabling them to be employed for the use or display of physical force in promoting any political object, or in such manner as to arouse reasonable apprehension that they are organised and either trained or equipped for that purpose ; then any person who takes part in the control and management of the association, or in so organising or training as aforesaid any members or adherents thereof, shall be guilty of an offence under this section : Provided that in any proceedings against a person charged with the offence of taking part in the control or management of such an association as aforesaid it shall be a defence to that charge to prove that he neither consented to nor connived at the organisation, training or equipment of members or adherents of the association in contravention of the provisions of this section. (2) In any criminal proceedings under this section proof of things done or of words written, spoken or published (whether or not in the presence of any party to the proceedings) by any person taking part in the control or management of an association or in organising, training or equipping members or adherents of an association shall be admissible as evidence of the purposes for which, or the manner in which, members or adherents of the association (whether those persons or others) were organised, or trained, or equipped. (3) Nothing in this section shall prohibit employment of a reasonable number of persons as stewards without any distinctive uniforms to assist in the preservation of order at any public meeting held upon private premises, or the making of arrangements for that purpose or the instruction of the persons to be so employed in their lawful duties as such stewards, or their being furnished with badges or other distinguishing signs.

Effective date: 1958-01-01

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