The Punjab government on Saturday night once again announced the imposition of Section 144 (ban on large gatherings) in Lahore ahead of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) rally to avoid any “unpleasant incidents”.
It is the second time in less than a week that the interim government has imposed the ban ahead of the party’s election rally – which has drawn criticism from the caretaker set-up for being “partial”.
The announcement came hours after PTI Chairman Imran Khan, who has been mobilizing his party from his residence in Lahore for more than four months, said he would lead the rally himself.
“I will lead the election rally to show them that we are not pets,” the former prime minister – who was ousted in April last year – said while addressing his party workers via video link. When he criticized the caretaker setup. Allegedly involved in the “murder” of party worker Ali Bilal.
However, as early as this week, caretaker Punjab Information Minister Aamir Mir said the former prime minister had once again announced a rally on an “important day”.
“Today (Sunday), Lahore will host a Pakistan Super League (PSL) match. The city will also host a 40-km long marathon and cycle race,” the information minister said.
Mir added that the management had already informed the party about the incidents, and it was also informed in writing to hold the rally on another day, but it chose otherwise.
“In light of the situation, the Punjab government has decided to ban the rallies today, imposing Section 144 to avoid any untoward incident”.
Mir said campaigning starts 22 days before the polls, which means the party is preparing ahead of schedule, as he advised the PTI chief to “relax”.
The general elections in Punjab will be held on April 30, while in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the election date is yet to be announced as Governor Ghulam Ali has not decided.
During a PTI rally on Wednesday, clashes broke out between party workers and the Punjab Police, in which several people were injured.
‘Government wants confrontation’
Speaking at a press conference after the announcement, PTI Vice Chairman Shah Mehmood Qureshi said that the implementation of Section 144 is “baseless”. He said that candidates who want to contest elections in Punjab will submit their nomination papers today.
The former foreign minister while holding a press conference in Lahore said that we are starting our election campaign and the implementation of Article 144 is not permissible in such a situation.
Claiming that “the government wants a confrontation”, he said his party would approach the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) and the Lahore High Court (LHC) against the move.
He said PTI leader Babar Awan will meet Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja in the morning and tell him that the ban is “baseless”.
Qureshi asked the party workers to reach Zaman Park – Khan’s residence – before 2 pm and the PTI chief himself would lead the rally.
