LAHORE: The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) on Saturday peacefully held the much-anticipated power show in the provincial capital, with a resolve to continue their struggle for supremacy of the constitution, the rule of law, and democracy in the country.

Amid police raids, arrests of party leaders and workers, and impositions of stringent conditions, the PTI staged a sizeable public rally at the Cattle Market Kahna on the outskirts of Lahore. The PTI power show was permitted after a deadlock between the party and the Punjab government ended late last night; the former was permitted to hold the rally, subject to compliance with 43 conditions. The PTI had earlier sought permission to hold its public gathering at Minar-i-Pakistan, but the Lahore district administration refused and thus allocated Kahna along the Lahore Ring Road.

The administration had intimated the rally organisers to conclude the public gathering at 6 pm. Thus, the lights went out at the PTI’s rally and police personnel reached the stage as the 6 pm deadline expired after some speeches from the party leaders. Deputy Commissioner Lahore Syed Musa Raza directed the rally organisers to adhere to the approved schedule, which allowed the event to take place from 3 pm to 6 pm. In a press release, he said that the rally must conclude by 6 pm and emphasised the need for immediate compliance. He warned that any violation of the No Objection Certificate (NOC) would result in legal action.

Lahore rally: PTI granted conditional permission

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister and PTI senior leader Ali Amin Gandapur was expected to conclude the show with his speech, but his caravan from the KP did not reach the venue within the allocated time for the rally. Other PTI senior leaders, including Asad Qaiser and Omar Ayub, could also not attend the rally. On its social media X account, the PTI claimed that the Lahore administration did not allow the KP CM’s convoy to enter the city and hence, he made his way to the rally site on foot. The PTI also shared a video that showed the KP CM walking with his supporters.

Meanwhile, while addressing the charged participants, PTI Chairman Ghohar Ali Khan lambasted the Punjab government for creating problems in the issuance of NOC for the PTI rally and urged the authorities to refrain from creating obstacles for party workers and open the roads leading to Lahore and the venue.

He averred that the PTI would not accept anything less than true democracy and it would continue with its struggle for democracy and an independent judiciary. He urged the ‘powers’ to listen to the voices of the people who were demanding true democracy and an independent judiciary. He also warned that his party would not accept anything other than an independent judiciary.

PTI Secretary General Salman Akram Raja said the time has come to show courage and stand against tyranny. He averred that the PTI’s mandate was stolen on February 8 and subsequently a puppet government was installed.

He also castigated the federal government for carrying out hasty constitutional amendments, saying through such mala fide amendments it sought to ‘manage’ the Supreme Court of Pakistan so that the government could ban the PTI and hold a military trial of Imran Khan. “The amendments were meant to undermine the independence of the judiciary and thus, we need to stand against it and defend the judiciary’s independence,” he said, adding that he would not accept Justice Qazi Faez Isa as the Chief Justice of Pakistan.

He urged the people to leave the comforts of their homes and come out onto the streets to save their leader Imran Khan and their party. He also asked the party workers to stand united behind their party and continue with their struggle for the supremacy of the Constitution, the rule of law and democracy in the country.

While addressing the rally, Opposition Leader in the Punjab Assembly Malik Ahmed Khan Bhachar accused the Punjab government of creating hurdles to prevent their workers from reaching the rally site, adding that the Punjab Police carried out raids to arrest and harass their party workers. He said that the majority of people in the rally were from Lahore. He also said that they were standing with their leader Imran Khan and would continue to struggle for their rights.

PTI senior leader Sardar Latif Khosa also criticized he government for attempting to amend the Constitution to impose Justice Qazi Faez Isa as Chief Justice. He rejected the recent reshuffle within the Supreme Court, describing it as part of a government strategy to stack the judiciary with favourable benches. He warned that such actions could have serious consequences, referencing the political turmoil that led to the fall of Sheikh Hasina’s government in Bangladesh.

On this occasion, PTI leaders and legislators, including Hammad Azhar, Sheikh Imtiaz, Jamshaid Dasti, Sheikh Waqas Akram and Shaukat Basara, also addressed the rally.

Meanwhile, a large number of PTI workers and supporters from various parts of the country started to reach the rally site at Kahna in the afternoon while heavy police presence was seen along various points on the route to the rally venue, with strict security measures in place. Moreover, stalls selling PTI-branded caps and scarves were set up along the route to the rally site.

Ahead of the rally, allegations have emerged from PTI supporters claiming that the police confiscated their lights, generators and speakers, and also accused them of preventing them from reaching the rally site.

In the provincial capital, the local PTI leadership, legislators and party ticket-holders with their supporters led their groups to the rally site from various parts of the city, showcasing the PTI political activity in the city after a long time since the arrest of PTI founding chairman and former Prime Minister Imran Khan.

PTI senior leader and former federal minister Hammad Azhar came out of hiding to lead his supporters from his constituency to the rally site while the wife of PTI President and former Punjab Chief Minister Chaudhry Pervez Elahi, Qaisara Elahi was leading a convoy of cars to Kahna.

Moreover, the motorway remained open for traffic from Lahore to Islamabad, with all entrances to Lahore accessible. Moreover, barbed wire was placed up to 2 kilometers on the Ring Road and the police told the participants not to enter the rally venue by crossing the road. The police also ordered that vehicles would not be allowed to be parked on the Ring Road; a forklift and crane were parked on the road to remove any vehicles violating the instructions. Although roads leading to the venue remained open, containers were placed at several points on Ferozepur Road and the entry points of the venue.

However, a police spokesperson denied the reports of road blockages, saying a footage from the Safe City monitoring system confirms that the lanes were clear. He also clarified that no containers were installed at Shahdara Chowk, ensuring that traffic was flowing normally over the bridge and throughout the area.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2024