The Pakistan Tehreek-e-InSaf (PTI) power show began on Sunday on the outskirts of Islamabad and is currently being telecast by the party on platform X.
Workers from across the province convened at the venue despite the event’s prior postponements from July to August due to revoked permissions over security concerns and potential unrest.
The rally seeks to mobilize support for the release of the party’s founder, Imran Khan, who has been imprisoned since August. Although a district and sessions court accepted appeals against his conviction in the Iddat case, the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) rearrested him in a new Toshakhana case.
The courts had suspended Imran’s sentences in two earlier Toshakhana cases, and the Islamabad High Court (IHC) acquitted him in the cipher case. The administration consistently denied permission for this public meeting until the Islamabad High Court stepped in during March in response to the district administration’s lack of action.
District authorities delayed a planned protest in July, forcing a rescheduling to August 22. However, they also cancelled this meeting, ultimately moving it to September 8.
As preparations for today’s rally concluded, capital police, citing a ‘medium-level’ terrorism threat, blocked nearly all city entry points, including key junctions and roads leading to the ‘red zone,’ except Margalla Road.
Read: Islamabad Hotels Ordered to Deny Services to PTI Supporters
The PTI’s Punjab spokesperson, Shaukat Basra, criticized these actions in a post, describing them as “unconstitutional” orders by the Punjab police. As confirmed in his discussion with Dawn, he advised workers to approach Islamabad individually to avoid police interference.
Earlier this week, the district administration issued a no-objection certificate for the gathering, with the caveat that it could be revoked at any time if a security issue arose.
The selected venue, a 350-kanal compound near Sangjani under military control, has reportedly rejuvenated PTI workers, signalling a potential thaw with the establishment.
Asad Qaiser, a senior PTI leader and former Speaker of the National Assembly, condemned the government’s actions in a video message, labelling them as those of a “fascist government” and accusing it of defying court orders and maintaining a hostile environment despite having approved the rally’s NOC.
