LAHORE: In the wake of its recent rally cancellation in Islamabad, the opposition PTI has announced a major political gathering at Minar-i-Pakistan (Iqbal Park) in Lahore on September 15.
The party has applied to the deputy commissioner for a No Objection Certificate (NOC) to hold the event. Concurrently, a Lahore High Court (LHC) judge has directed the registrar office to schedule a hearing for a separate petition filed by PTI seeking permission for the rally.
Previously, the Punjab home department imposed Section 144 to ban political gatherings whenever PTI sought to hold a rally, including on August 21, which prevented PTI members from attending their scheduled August 22 event in Islamabad that was postponed at the last minute.
PTI Lahore president Sheikh Imtiaz Mahmood, MPA, was detained while en route to Islamabad.
PTI’s next mass gathering is planned for September 8 in Islamabad, but for the Lahore rally, PTI Secretary General Omar Ayub Khan personally submitted the application for the NOC.
He emphasized that as the largest political party in the country, PTI anticipates a substantial turnout and assured the deputy commissioner’s office of the party’s commitment to maintaining law and order.
Khan referenced several constitutional articles and Supreme Court rulings supporting the right to hold political gatherings. He cited Article 16, which guarantees freedom of expression, and Article 17, which ensures the right to form or join political parties. He also referred to the Benazir Bhutto vs. Federation case, which supports the right to meet, discuss grievances, and organize political activities.
Additionally, PTI parliamentary leader in the Punjab Assembly, Ali Imtiaz Warraich, has requested the Speaker issue a production order for Sheikh Imtiaz Mahmood, who has been detained by Lahore police, to allow him to attend the Standing Committee on S&GAD meeting on September 2.
In response to the PTI’s petition, Justice Ali Baqar Najafi of the LHC instructed the registrar office to schedule a hearing. The petition, filed by PTI leader Akmal Khan, requests an expedited review of the denial of rally permission.
