PTI’s power show ends in anticlimax

Lights go out, police clear stage after 6pm, despite hurdles, embattled party's rally roared on

LAHORE:

The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf's (PTI) much-hyped Lahore power show on Saturday ended on a whimper rather than the anticipated bang, fizzling out in an anti-climactic ending as the lights went out and police cleared the stage once the 6pm deadline passed.

The abrupt halt came after a handful of speeches from party leaders to supporters at Kahna along the city's Ring Road, leaving the crowd in the dark.

However, despite the mounting challenges, the rally roared on in its power show, pulling off a sizable rally.

Amid police raids, arrests of party leaders and workers, and stringent conditions imposed by authorities, the Imran Khan-led party held a fairly large public rally at the Cattle Market on the outskirts of the political capital.

PTI leaders reaffirmed their unwavering commitment to upholding the supremacy of the Constitution, rule of law, and democracy in Pakistan.

Addressing rally participants, PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan slammed the Punjab government for obstructing the issuance of a no-objection certificate (NOC) for the peaceful rally.

He stressed that PTI would settle for nothing short of "true democracy" and vowed to keep fighting for democratic governance and an independent judiciary. He called on the powers that be to listen to the winds of change, asserting that the people were demanding genuine democracy and judicial independence.

PTI General Secretary Salman Akram Raja echoed the sentiments, rallying supporters to show courage and resist oppression.

He alleged "puppet" regime was installed by stealing PTI's mandate in the February 8 elections and condemned recent constitutional amendments that he claimed were aimed at undermining the judiciary and banning PTI.

He criticised the amendments for attempting to manipulate the Supreme Court and vowed not to recognise Justice Qazi Faez Isa as the chief justice of Pakistan.

The PTI leader further alleged that the government was seeking to establish a parallel constitutional court under Justice Isa through these proposed amendments.

He warned that despite the government's efforts, they had failed to convict former prime minister Imran Khan through legitimate means and were now resorting to "military courts"—a move he declared as a "red line" for PTI and the people of Pakistan.

He vowed the party would continue its struggle for Imran's release.

Opposition Leader in the Punjab Assembly Malik Ahmed Khan Bhachar accused the provincial government of creating hurdles to prevent workers from attending the rally, claiming that Punjab Police conducted raids to arrest and harass PTI members.

He stressed that the majority of attendees were from Lahore and expressed the party's unwavering support for Imran Khan and their rights.

PTI senior leader Sardar Latif Khosa also took the government to task for attempting to amend the Constitution to impose Justice Qazi Faez Isa as chief justice.

He rejected the recent reshuffle within the Supreme Court, describing it as part of a government strategy to stack the judiciary with favourable benches.

Khosa warned that such actions could have serious consequences, referencing the political turmoil that led to the downfall of Sheikh Hasina's government in Bangladesh.

 

Obstacles

 

The rally also featured speeches from other prominent PTI figures, including Sheikh Waqas Akram, Shoaib Shaheen, Umar Dar, and Aoun Abbas Bappi. Snippets of Imran Khan's previous speeches were played, and the crowd chanted slogans demanding his release.

Supporters from across the country began arriving at the rally site in Kahna in the afternoon, with a heavy police presence securing the area. Stalls selling PTI-branded merchandise, such as caps and scarves, lined the route to the venue.

The PTI's power show was greenlit after a deadlock between the party and the Punjab government was resolved late the previous night, with authorities granting permission for the rally under 43 conditions.

The former ruling party had initially requested to hold the gathering at Minar-e-Pakistan, but the Lahore district administration designated Kahna along the Lahore Ring Road as the venue.

Ahead of the event, PTI supporters claimed that police had confiscated their lights, generators, and speakers, hindering their access to the rally site. Local PTI leaders, legislators, and ticket holders led their groups to the venue, marking one of the most significant political gatherings in Lahore since the arrest of PTI's founding chairman Imran Khan.

Former federal minister Hammad Azhar also emerged from hiding to lead his supporters to the rally, while Qaisara Elahi, wife of PTI President and former Punjab Chief Minister Chaudhary Pervez Elahi, led a convoy to Kahna.

Though the motorway between Lahore and Islamabad remained open, barbed wire and police checkpoints were seen along several routes leading to the rally site.

Police instructed participants not to park on the Ring Road, deploying forklifts and cranes to remove any vehicles in violation of orders.

Containers were placed at multiple points along Ferozepur Road and other key access routes.

However, a police spokesperson denied reports of road blockages, stating that footage from the Safe City monitoring system showed no obstructions. He assured that traffic was flowing normally and clarified that no containers had been installed at Shahdara Chowk.

The PTI rally, held amid intense political and security challenges, marked a significant moment in the party's ongoing battle against government policies and leadership, underscoring the deepening political divide in the country.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister and senior PTI leader Ali Amin Gandapur was expected to conclude the rally with his speech, but his convoy from K-P did not reach the venue within the allotted time.

Other senior PTI leaders, including Asad Qaiser and Omar Ayub, were also unable to attend.

However, Gandapur did manage to make it to the rally after the deadline. "I've broken through all obstacles to reach you, are you happy?" he stated, promising that, "Very soon, I will have Imran Khan released".

"Now I seek your permission to leave," the K-P CM said while concluding his brief speech.

In a statement posted on PTI's social media platform X, the party alleged that the Lahore administration had blocked Gandapur's convoy from entering the city, forcing him to walk to the rally on foot.

A video shared by the party showed the K-P Chief Minister walking alongside his supporters en route to the venue.