Jailed former prime minister Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) on Saturday postponed a public rally in Islamabad after the district administration revoked its permission.
The PTI had planned to hold a public gathering on the outskirts of the federal capital to demand release of its jailed leader. The district administration had initially granted permission for the event following directives from the Islamabad High Court.
However, just hours after the party began preparing for the rally, the Islamabad administration revoked the permission on Friday, citing security concerns, the start of Muharram, and reports from law enforcement agencies.
In a statement, the PTI said, “The rally that was to be held today in Islamabad is postponed until a new date is announced.”
The PTI has filed a contempt petition with the Islamabad High Court against the district administration and police, alleging they violated the court’s order to permit the rally. The party’s petition claims that the respondents were creating obstacles in holding the rally and that the reasons for the cancellation of the No-Objection Certificate (NOC) were “malafide,” “based on ulterior motives,” a result of “political victimization,” and a “clear contempt” of the court’s orders. However, the petition could not be heard immediately due to the unavailability of the Islamabad High Court Chief Justice.
In the meantime, PTI convened a meeting of its political committee to discuss the issue and strategize. They later announced at a press conference that the rally had been postponed.
PTI Chairman Gohar Khan stated, “We have unanimously decided to postpone today’s public rally, which was scheduled to take place at 6 pm under the auspices of Tahaffuz-e-Aain-e-Pakistan, as we have moved the court and obtained the NOC from the court.”
Since August last year, when Imran Khan was arrested on graft charges, PTI has struggled to hold rallies across the country to mobilize public support for his release. The party claims it has faced a crackdown and mass arrests of its members for supporting Khan, allegations that Pakistani authorities deny.
