Gates of Minar-e-Pakistan locked ahead of PTI rally in Lahore

Authorities in Lahore have locked all gates leading to Minar-e-Pakistan ahead of a planned Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) rally scheduled for 21st September.

Police and related departments took the action, sealing off the grounds and restricting any form of public entry.

Heavy police presence has been deployed at each gate to maintain security and enforce the restrictions.

The PTI rally has not yet received formal approval from local authorities, and PTI has filed a petition in the Lahore High Court seeking permission for the event.

The PTI had announced its intention to hold the rally at Minar-e-Pakistan, but the administration has yet to grant permission.

Meanwhile, the Deputy Commissioner of Lahore has sought an intelligence report before making a final decision on the rally's approval.

The situation continues to develop as the authorities and PTI engage in a legal and administrative process regarding the rally.

Moreover, the Deputy Commissioner of Lahore, Syed Musa Raza, has requested a report from District Intelligence regarding the approval of a Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) rally in the city.

The decision to grant permission for the rally will be based on the intelligence assessment and recommendations from Lahore police, which has also been asked for its input on the matter.

The request follows an order by the Lahore High Court, which instructed the deputy commissioner to decide on PTI’s application for rally approval by 5:00 pm today.

The court also dismissed a separate petition seeking to prevent the rally, with a three-member bench ruling the plea as inadmissible.

The petition, filed by Advocate Nadeem Sarwar, was dismissed with Justice Farooq Haider stating that the petitioner was not an affected party.

Meanwhile, PTI's founding chairman Imran Khan in an informal conversation with journalists, spoke about issue of government's permission for PTI to hold a rally in Lahore.

 Imran claimed that refusal "will turn the rally into a protest. If the rally is stopped, the entire nation will protest at Minar Pakistan".

"For a year and a half, rallies have not been allowed in Lahore. Destroying democracy means ending freedom, and having a rally is our constitutional right," the PTI chairperson claimed.

The PTI founder further alleged the PTI's rally at Minar-e-Pakistan is "aimed at protecting democracy and freedom", and is endorsed by the Supreme Court, but is being blocked once again.