After a meeting with the leadership of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), the Lahore district administration late on Sunday allowed the Imran Khan-led party to hold an election rally in the Punjab capital city on Monday (today).
Sources familiar with the matter say that this meeting was held on the instructions of Punjab Chief Minister Mohsin Raza Naqvi.
During the huddle, the PTI leadership submitted an affidavit, assuring full cooperation with the city administration, police and security officials.
The former ruling party assured the authority that it would comply with the relevant law regarding the use of sound systems. Speeches against state institutions and judiciary will not be allowed in the rally, PTI agreed.
If government property is demanded during the rally, PTI will be responsible, read the affidavit.
Earlier, Imran Khan, who was ousted from the government after losing a no-confidence vote on April 9 last year, postponed his election rally after the caretaker government refused to lift Article 144.
According to PTI Lahore Chapter President Imtiaz Shaikh, a rally will be taken out from Zaman Park to Data Darbar today at 2 pm.
He confirmed that Imran Khan will lead the rally.
This will be the first rally that Khan will lead in more than four months as he mobilizes the party from his residence in Zaman Park in the Punjab capital. The PTI chief was at home as he was “recuperating” from an injury sustained last year.
Khan was shot in the legs on November 3 as he led a protest march towards Islamabad waving to crowds from a truck-mounted container to pressure the government to call early elections — But it was cut short in Rawalpindi.
General elections in Punjab will be held on April 30, while in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the date of elections is yet to be announced as Governor Ghulam Ali has not taken any decision yet.
“Section 144 Imposed Illegally”
Taking to Twitter, the PTI chief claimed earlier today that Section 144 was “illegally imposed only on PTI’s election campaign” despite other public activities going on in Lahore.
to file more sham FIRs against PTI ldrshp & workers & to use as pretext for postponing elections. Elec Schedule has been announced so how can Sec 144 be imposed on pol activity? I AM TELLING ALL PTI WORKERS NOT TO FALL INTO THIS TRAP. Hence we have postponed rally till tomorrow.
— Imran Khan (@ImranKhanPTI) March 12, 2023
“Only Zaman Park is surrounded by containers and heavy police presence. Clearly, like March 8, the Punjab Chief Minister and the police have filed more false FIRs against PTI leadership and workers and postponed the elections. want to incite conflict to use pretexts to do so.” The Prime Minister added.
The PTI Chairman questioned how Section 144 can be imposed in the provincial capital despite the announcement of the election schedule.
“I am asking all PTI workers not to fall into this trap, so we have postponed the rally till tomorrow,” the PTI chief said.
