PTI rally in Islamabad now on Sept 8

Gohar says new date set on instructions of Imran

ISLAMABAD:

The PTI cancelled its planned public rally in Islamabad on Thursday and announced a new date of September 8 for the gathering on the instruction of the party founder Imran Khan, PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan said.

However, the announcement of the postponement of the rally was met with reservations by the six-party opposition alliance, the Tehreek-e-Tahafuz-e-Ain Pakistan (TTAP), which also includes the PTI. TTAP chief Mehmood Achakzai said that he had not been taken in confidence by the PTI.

The PTI had planned the rally in Tarnol, Islamabad, on Thursday. However, the federal capital administration cancelled the permission for the rally because of the protests announced by some religious parties.

While speaking alongside Azam Swati outside the Adiala Jail, Barrister Gohar said that the rally would be held in Islamabad on September 8 on the instructions of the PTI founder. He said that the Islamabad administration had given the NOC for September 8 rally.

Speaking on the occasion Swati said that the Islamabad rally was postponed on the instructions of the PTI founder to avoid chaos. However, he insisted that the party rallies would be held In Lahore on August 27 and Islamabad on September 8.

In the meeting with Imran, Swati said, the report came that the religious parties were gathering in Islamabad's Red Zone in a Tahafuz-e-Khatam-e-Nabuwwat rally. He added that the PTI founder reiterated that the party believed in peaceful political and legal struggle.

"He [the PTI founder] never wanted chaos in the country. A very difficult decision was taken by him to avoid chaos as he postponed the rally," Swati told reporters. He added that the PTI founder said his struggle was for justice and he instructed for starting rallies to promote law and order in the country.

The PTI leadership said that Islamabad district magistrate had issued the NOC to the PTI with 40 instructions. On September 8, it said, the administration would provide security to the rally. According to the NOC, people will gather at 4 O'clock in the evening and the programme would end at 7 O'clock.

After the announcement, TTAP chief Achakzai convened a meeting of the opposition alliance for not being taken into confidence in this matter. Quoting its sources, Express News reported that participants expressed their reservations to the cancelling of the rally in Tarnol.

The meeting was also attended by Majlis-e-Wahdatul Muslimeen (MWM) chief Allama Nasir Abbas, Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC) chief Hamid Raza, PTI leader Shoaib Shaheen, Akhunzada Hussain Yousafzai and others, the report added.

It further said that Achakzai complained in the meeting that the PTI did not take the alliance into confidence before taking the decision. He pointed out that an application has been filed in the court in his name and he was not even informed before taking a big decision like postponing the rally.

According to a separate Express News report, Imran's sister Aleema Khan also questioned the decision of postponing the Tarnol rally, alleging that the current party leadership did not want the release of the party founder.

She was particularly raised concerns over Swati's meeting with Imran in jail. "At whose behest Azam Swati went to meet Imran Khan in the morning? How is it possible to meet Imran Khan in Adiala at 7:30am," she asked.