PTI Lahore rally comes to a sudden halt after city admin cuts power, seizes stage

• Punjab govt claims “low-attendance” at PTI rally.
• PTI voices support for “independent judiciary”.
• Bokhari censures Gandapur for ignoring ‘KP’s issues’.

The overhyped yet time-strapped Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) rally in Lahore came to a sudden halt before many top leaders could speak, with firebrand Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur failing to arrive at the venue ahead of the 6pm deadline set by the city officials in the conditions-laden no-objection certificate (NOC).

After the deadline expired, Lahore police took control of the stage, turning off the microphone and lights, forcing PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan and other party leaders to leave.

Except for Gohar and Salman Akram Raja, the first-tier leadership failed to address the rally participants, which Punjab Information Minister Azma Bokhari claimed numbered only in the hundreds.

Bokhari also censured Gandapur for turning a blind eye to the issues his province was facing and instead focusing on public gatherings.

Gandapur and Leader of Opposition in the National Assembly Omar Ayub, who were leading convoys from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, had not arrived at the venue by the end of deadline.

The chief executive was reportedly bringing rescue 1122 ambulances and heavy machinery to remove any hurdles on their way, drawing flak from the Punjab government for "using KP's resources" for Lahore rally. 

As the clock struck 6pm, Lahore's deputy commissioner, who had warned of "stringent action" if the former ruling party violated the conditions in the NOC, ordered the organisers to call off the rally immediately.

Today's rally followed a no-objection certificate (NOC) issued by the deputy commissioner a day earlier, in compliance with Lahore High Court (LHC) instructions directing the city administration to decide on the Imran Khan-founded party's request for a public gathering.

'Fighting for independent judiciary'

Addressing the participants of the rally, Barrister Gohar said that his party would not accept anything other than an independent judiciary.

Congratulating the PTI Lahore chapter for organising such a ‘huge rally’, Gohar urged the authorities to refrain from creating obstacles for party workers and open the roads leading to Lahore and the venue.

PTI leader Sardar Latif Khosa castigated the government over the controversial constitutional package, vowing not to let anyone make decisions against the Constitution of Pakistan.

“The government is being run through an ordinance,” he said, adding that the sitting rulers wanted favourable judges and verdicts.

Meanwhile, Sheikh Waqas Akram noted that "PTI founder Imran Khan has instructed them to stand by the judiciary and fight for ‘real freedom’."

‘Low-attendance’

Punjab Minister Bokhari claimed that the Imran Khan-founded party has failed to gather larger number of supporters for the Lahore jalsa, saying that the people of Pakistan have rejected the party’s “politics of anarchy”.

Giving a breakdown of attendance at the public gathering, she claimed only 1,500 people from Lahore reached the venue.

“PTI’s Dera Ghazi (DG) Khan leadership arrived with 100 to 150 people, while Sheikh Imtiaz managed to gather only 15 to 20 people. Rai Hassan Nawaz brought only 60 to 70 people,” she said.

Furthermore, the minister claimed 1,500 to 1600 people from Lahore attended the rally; 65 to 85 people from Gujranwala; 63 to 77 people from Faisalabad; 26 to 32 from Sahiwal; and 117 to 155 from Multan. 

Contrary to the Punjab police’s claim, some PTI leaders said that they faced obstructions en route to Lahore.

Earlier, dozens of PTI workers were reportedly arrested as also claimed by PTI leader Barrister Muhammad Ali Saif who alleged the authorities of creating hurdles for PTI workers through different tactics.

He said blocking routes and arresting workers, despite granting permission for the public gathering, was a shameful act.

The party has been trying to hold rallies across the country for months but has been repeatedly denied permission by authorities citing security issues and other reasons.

Although they managed to hold a public gathering on September 8 in Sangjani, Islamabad. However, the power show was soon followed by a crackdown against party leaders — some of who were even allegedly "picked" from within the parliament's premises — for allegedly breaching the terms of NOC issued by the administration as well as the "Peaceful Assembly and Public Order Bill, 2024", a law which came into effect just a day ahead of the rally.

43 conditions for PTI Lahore rally

The no-objection certificate was granted by the authorities under 43 conditions, varying from a time limit of 3pm to 6pm as well as a prohibition on anti-state slogans and speeches.

Not only has the administration imposed a prohibition on proclaimed offenders and those under trial for hate speech from attending the gathering but has also sought an apology from Gandapur for his "abusive" remarks that he made during the September 8 rally in the federal capital.

The rally arguably holds significance for both the PTI and the Punjab government as the former has time again asserted having the support of the masses with the latter claiming otherwise.

Former premier Imran Khan this week termed the Kahna rally a "do-or-die" situation while urging people to "come out for their future".