Former Prime Minister Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party plans to hold a rally in Islamabad in the last week of August or the first week of September, according to a senior party official.
Last month, the PTI had to postpone a public rally in Islamabad after the district administration revoked permission. The event, planned on the outskirts of the capital, aimed to press for Khan’s release, who has been in jail since last August. Although all four convictions against him ahead of the upcoming parliamentary election in February have been either suspended or overturned, he remains incarcerated on new charges. Khan maintains that all legal cases against him are politically motivated.
“As the Chief Minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, I am announcing that we will hold a rally in Islamabad in the last week of August or the first week of September, on the weekend,” said Ali Amin Gandapur, a senior PTI member, during a rally in Swabi, a town in the northwest.
Gandapur indicated that if permission or a no-objection certificate (NOC) is not granted to hold the rally at a designated location, the party will proceed at D-Chowk, a large square at the intersection of Jinnah Avenue and Constitution Avenue in Islamabad, near significant government buildings like the Presidency, Prime Minister’s Office, Parliament, and Supreme Court.
“If we are denied an NOC, God willing, the rally will take place at D-Chowk,” Gandapur asserted. “We will have a rally in Islamabad, which is not only my federal capital but also the federal capital of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.”
The PTI, which seeks to mobilize public support for Khan’s release, has faced challenges in organizing rallies across the country since Khan’s arrest on corruption charges last August. The party alleges a state-backed crackdown and mass arrests of its members and supporters for supporting Khan. Pakistani authorities deny these allegations.
The crackdown intensified following the events of May 9, 2023, when alleged PTI supporters attacked and damaged government and military installations after Khan’s brief arrest on graft charges. The attacks occurred a little over a year after Khan’s fallout with Pakistan’s powerful military, which he accused of conspiring with his political rivals to remove him from office in April 2022. The military denies these allegations.
Following the May 9 incidents, hundreds of PTI workers and leaders were arrested, with many still in custody awaiting trial. The military has also initiated court-martial proceedings against at least 103 individuals accused of participating in the violence. Several of Khan’s close aides have distanced themselves from him, widely believed to be under pressure from the military, which denies political interference.
Recently, Khan made a “conditional” offer for talks with the military, contingent on “clean and transparent” elections and the dismissal of “bogus” cases against his supporters.
However, the military, which has consistently held Khan and his party responsible for the May 9 attacks, has ruled out any negotiations with him.
