PTI rally request for tomorrow denied by Rawalpindi DC

Rawalpindi district administration on Wednesday rejected Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI)'s request for a no-objection certificate to hold a rally at Liaquat Bagh on April 9.

PTI demanded permission as Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi announced a protest, the date the party was removed from power four years ago, after a no-confidence motion. Following the announcement by PTI, a day earlier, the Rawalpindi district administration also imposed Section 144 for 15 days.

PTI’s Rawalpindi district president, Khan Aqil Khan, was formally informed of the decision. The matter was reviewed in a meeting of the District Intelligence Committee (DIC), which considered the current security situation and potential threats.

A notification issued by the deputy commissioner stated, "Following a comprehensive assessment of the prevailing law and order situation and recent security threat alerts, and feedback from the LEAs (Law Enforcement Agencies), the Committee unanimously concluded that the requested activity cannot be held," it said.

Furthermore, the DIC in a notification noted that the extensive deployment of police personnel and security resources required to sanitise such a complex area was currently not feasible due to global energy crises and recently notified government austerity measures.

Read: Rawalpindi enforces Section 144 ahead of PTI protest

Imran has been in custody since August 2023 and is serving a sentence at Adiala jail in a £190 million corruption case. He also faces pending trials under the Anti-Terrorism Act in connection with the May 9, 2023, protests.

In the past, PTI has staged many protests and rallies, but now the party has intensified calls for his release after a medical report submitted to the Supreme Court stated that vision in his right eye had dropped to 15 per cent. Government officials, however, maintain that he is receiving appropriate medical care.

A day earlier, Rawalpindi police registered a case under anti-terrorism provisions against the sisters of Imran, several members of the national and provincial assemblies, and around 1,400 unidentified individuals following unrest on Adiala Road.

According to police, the FIR was lodged on the complaint of Sub-Inspector Imran Khan, in charge of the Adiala checkpost, and includes charges of attempted murder and resisting law enforcement.