PTI cancels Islamabad rally following revocation of NOC

PTI leader Omar Ayub criticises Islamabad administration, "They revoked the NOC out of fear of PTI workers."

ISLAMABAD:

The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf has cancelled its rally planned for Tarnol Chowk in Islamabad after getting embroiled in a legal dispute with local authorities over the revocation of the No Objection Certificate (NOC) that was garnted earlier to party.

The PTI had earlier announced its determination to proceed with the rally despite the permit revocation, but later decided to cancel its planned rally in the federal capital Islamabad today.

The decision was disclosed during a press conference held by PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar, alongside Ali Muhammad Khan, Asad Qaiser, and other party leaders.

"We have decided to cancel today’s rally, which was intended to uphold the constitution," Gohar stated.

He explained that a No Objection Certificate (NOC) had been issued after four months.

"An NOC cannot be suspended based on the Deputy Commissioner or Chief Commissioner's statement," he added.

Yesterday, the district administration of the federal capital revoked permission for PTI's public gathering scheduled at Turnol on Peshawar Road.

Despite this, PTI sought legal recourse by filing a petition with the Islamabad High Court (IHC).

"There were no judges present at the high court," Gohar mentioned, indicating their plan was to proceed with the rally once they had obtained the necessary legal permissions.

"We had hoped to secure the necessary legal permissions and go ahead with the rally," he added.

PTI leader Omar Ayub criticised the Islamabad administration, stating, "The administration had initially granted permission for today's rally, but police sealed the area overnight. The DC Islamabad had signed the orders; were they under the influence when they granted the permission?"

He maintained that despite court orders, rally equipment was removed late at night.

"The Tarnol site was provided by the administration themselves. They revoked the NOC out of fear of PTI workers. Two brothers of Azhar Mashwani were detained. We will question the budget allocation for these operations compared to that for schools," Ayub stated.

The Islamabad administration had initially granted PTI permission to hold the rally at Peshawar Road, Tarnol.

However the permit was revoked over 'security and terrorism concerns,', leading to PTI's announcement to cancel the rally despite their earlier resolve to proceed under any circumstances.

A high-level meeting was convened under the chairmanship of the Islamabad deputy commissioner to assess the current security situation, attended by security officials.

However, no representatives from political parties participated in the meeting despite invitations.

Earlier today, following the meeting, the Leader of the opposition in the National Assembly, Omar Ayub, addressed the media, confirming the party's plans.

"We will approach the high court in the morning," he said.

Ayub detailed that party workers would start arriving at 2 pm, with convoys expected to reach Tarnol by 3 pm.