A day before Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) highly anticipated rally in Islamabad, the “Peaceful Assembly and Public Order Bill, 2024” was signed into law by President Asif Ali Zardari. This bill, which aims to regulate public gatherings, came into effect just two days after being passed by both the Senate and National Assembly, despite strong protests from PTI lawmakers.
The law grants the district magistrate authority to regulate or ban public gatherings in the federal capital, with penalties of up to three years in prison and/or a fine for participating in an “unlawful assembly.” Repeat offenders could face up to 10 years in jail. The duration of any assembly ban would be determined by the district magistrate and can be extended if the circumstances justifying the ban persist.
According to the bill, police officers, under the district magistrate’s instruction, can order any assembly that threatens public peace to disperse, and participants must comply.
Meanwhile, PTI is set to hold its public rally tomorrow (Sunday) after relocating the event to an open space at the junction of Margalla Road, Iran Avenue, and GT Road in Sangjani. This change was confirmed by a notification from the district magistrate, which granted permission for the event, with the new location being 200 meters from the original site. The routes and conditions previously established for the rally remain the same.
The district administration had initially granted PTI permission to hold the rally on September 8. However, the party faced internal criticism for failing to hold a previous event in Islamabad on August 22 after it was canceled, and the administration sealed roads citing security concerns.
PTI leaders Gohar Ali Khan and Azam Swati stated that the August 22 rally was postponed on the advice of party founder Imran Khan after a meeting with him in Adiala Jail. However, divisions within the party surfaced when Imran’s sister, Aleema Khan, contradicted these claims, expressing doubts about the current leadership’s intentions to free Imran from jail. In an audio clip, she questioned Swati’s early morning visit to Imran.
PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar announced today that the rally had already begun and that allied parties would join the public gathering tomorrow. He mentioned that due to rally preparations, he was unable to meet Imran Khan. He also claimed that two PTI workers were arrested and called on the administration not to create hurdles as the event had been authorized.
Additionally, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur expressed confidence that the September 8 rally would be as successful as the party’s February 8 election victory, adding that the country’s economy had been damaged by those currently in power.
