It was reopened later on in the morning. The venue was reportedly closed by the security administration of the Mazar-e-Quaid. According to a security guard, Sabir, “Our security supervisor told us to lock the gate. There were about five of us who started our shift at 7 am. The gate was closed at 8 am.” A copy of the Sindh High Court’s (SHC) ruling on December 21 was also placed on the gate.
PTI workers inside the venue were told to leave. As media personnel converged on the site, police officers from a nearby station arrived to inquire into what happened.
Imran Ismail, the deputy secretary general of the PTI, told The Express Tribune that this was an “attempt by the federal government to slow us down.” Party chief Imran Khan was told of the development and directed PTI to calm its workers down while he helped sort the issue out. A few hours after the gate was locked, the security administration reopened it.
According to Ismail, the SHC ruling – which disposed of a petition over the rally site – did not disallow PTI from holding their event. He said that the Quaid-e-Azam trust had given them permission again as well.
“This will be the largest rally in history,” Ismail predicted. He said they had not faced any issues with coordinating with the police or administration prior to today, as the party has been working on the site since the second week of December. He did say that there were problems before PTI’s October 30 rally in Lahore. “Since the Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) had held a rally in Lahore prior to ours and had broken all rules and put up posters and banners”, Ismail said, PTI was able to hold its event. “They gave us Minar-e-Pakistan as a venue because they thought we wouldn’t be able to fill it. And that space wasn’t enough for us.”
It is hard to estimate how many people can fit into the December 25 rally site. A police officer estimated that there was space for up to 500,000 people.
Additional chief secretary for the home department Waseem Ahmed also visited the site to survey it on Friday morning. The police were reportedly developing a security plan for the rally on Friday.
Published in The Express Tribune, December 24th, 2011.
COMMENTS (23)
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Great show in Karachi, a lot of ground covered in a span of 4 months from DHARNA at Seaview during Ramadan and yesterday's Jalsa. No match between the turn out, same leader incredible difference, it would be interesting to see how all this actually came about.
It would have made people really happy if all this had happened without media's extraordinary hype provided to PTI. What PTI has done is maintaing staus quo, why could there be no political success without the makhdooms of yester years who have done nothing for the good of the ordinary folks. PTI can do without these last minute inclusions which happen to become vice chairmen over night. Please not push back the Umer Cheemas of PTI
PTI zindabad! More plastic chairs for awam.Transporter's will make good money busing in the rent-a-crowd from other provinces.
@Mohammad Ali Siddiqui: VIVA! @Ahsan: VIVA! @Spaniard: VIVA! @RKM: VIVA!
INSHALLAH UL AZIZ, Pakistan will re-emerge on the globe perspective as a country that means honesty, education, hard work, discipline, tolerance and love for all races and religions.
Let's now start de-populating the present parliament by telling the TV talk show hosts to stop pampering the out moded and banal (insulated) politicians who resist change. "Change is inevitable, do not resist it."
Salams to Pakistan and PTI and Muttaheda
Ik zindabaad...
Oh GOD!!! Plz take me to Karachi on 25th Dec.
we attend with all my family and friends inshallah
Please stop telling us in Karachi this is our make or break time
No Imran Khan is not our saviour and No we do not like PTI! PTI is just another party and Imran Khan is just another politician
We HOPE the CITY OF LIGHTS "will Reinforce" this "Wave of Change", TSUNAMI as it is called.
struggle until and unless you lead the succes we are with you
It's good that they are holding a rally in winters in Karachi , else summers mai garmi bhi kharab hojati crowd.
m so much excited about the jalsa.......plz Karachiites don"t let IK down as he is one and only hope for us.....plzzzzzzzz do attend and show the power of youth
Its PTI time.
InshaALLAH going at the Jalsa with my friends and siblings.
The security would be very tight. No worries: (Jalsa map) www.f1.proxymice.com/photo.php?fbid=261547483905627&set=a.142383065822070.26958.142178665842510&type=1&ref=nf
This would break all previous records of big Jalsa in the city..Insha ALLAH..
You can see how BIG the ground is ~~~
Krachites: pls play your very important role in this rebuilding of our Nation. Join us at mizar-e-Qauid, and for once, let the rest of the Pakistan and the world see how the dreams of Qauid are coming true after 64 years of independece.
M
NOw or Never for karachi
Dear Karachiits
Pakistan has sent its most precious son to your city. This is a man of courage, wisdom, sheer determination and never-say-no attitude. He is brave and and his achievements for our country require no words/praise as everyone is aware of them. I request all of you that being the inhabitants of the most literate, advanced and industrialist city, city that was once known as city of lights and that greets everyone with open arms, it's your responsibility to rise above ethnicity, rise against target killings, against injustice and above all rise for unity. Please be a part of this historic movement and set an example for the rest of Pakistan. Thanking you in anticipation.
This is our Leader. Only he can change the future of Pakistan. Lets hope the Karachi jalsa will be as huge as it was in Lahore.
Come On Karachi...Show the world...that we are CHANGED and UNITED WE STAND...roar like LION
It will be a ever biggest first time historic rally by PTI in Karachi.
Being a gazetted holiday, every one try to reach the venue well before time. Those who will not get place will be watching live telecast on various TV Cahnnels.
The way its building-up, it has all the making s of a huge huge success i tell you.