- PTI had sought permission for Minar-e-Pakistan rally.
- Lahore hosting cricket match, int’l speaker conference.
- Thousands of security personnel deployed across Lahore.
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has announced that it will not engage in any confrontation or unrest on February 8, marking the first anniversary of last year’s general elections.
PTI Secretary General Salman Akram Raja told media in Islamabad that the party would hold a rally only in Swabi, while protests would take place at tehsil and union council levels. He clarified that there were no plans for confrontation or chaos.
The former ruling party had sought permission to hold a rally at Minar-e-Pakistan on February 8, but the deputy commissioner rejected the request, denying approval for the gathering.
“The decision not to allow the rally was made to maintain law and order situation,” the DC said in a statement, also mentioning that important events scheduled in Lahore on February 8, such as a cricket match, an international speaker conference, and a horse and cattle show.
The government official said that thousands of security personnel had already been deployed due to these events.
Meanwhile, ahead of the event in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, government officials, including police personnel, have been barred from participating in political gatherings and rallies.
The provincial police have also been instructed to refrain from attending or facilitating such events.
KP Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur has announced a full-scale protest on the occasion of “Black Day” tomorrow, vowing to ensure the release of PTI founder Imran Khan at all costs.
He said that he had twice overcome all obstacles to reach D-Chowk for the leader’s release and emphasised that any future negotiations with the government would only take place on the directives of the PTI founder.
The former ruling party, following its negotiations with the government fell apart announced protest rallies against 2024 polls which it, along with other opposition parties, has time again decried for being marred with rigging resulting in alleged theft of its mandate.
The Imran Khan-founded party’s ended negotiations after the latter’s failure to form a judicial commission to probe the May 9 riots and November 2024 protests as per its charter of demands.
The dialogue process between the PML-N-led government and the PTI commenced in late December after months of heightened political tensions.
PTI KP President Junaid Akbar has also warned of agitation against the ruling coalition, saying that the party’s desire to hold dialogue with the government was misconstrued as its weakness.
The PTI, in recent months, has taken to the streets on various occasions. The party’s protests and power show in Islamabad last year resulted in a crackdown against party workers with leaders facing multiple cases.
