Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf has clarified their stance, signaling that they will proceed with its scheduled rally in Lahore on September 21. The announcement has been made by the Chairman for PTI, Barrister Gohar Ali Khan.
It is to be noted that, the announcement from Former PM Imran Khan’s founded- Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) came amid the heightened tensions.
Despite the ongoing police raids, arrests and the legal challenges that the party workers are facing, PTI chairman, Barrister Khan, made the confirmation on Wednesday that the rally will take place as per the plans.
Not just limited to this, the party’s leadership, while adding further on this, said that, “We will organize the rally, with or without the required No-Objection Certificate (NOC) from the local authorities.”
The Secretary General for PTI, General Salman Akram Raja, said that, “The party would not be intimidated by the government actions. We are not afraid of fascism and are ready to face jail, but the rally will happen on September 21.”
Meanwhile, sister of Imran Khan, Aleema Khan, further called the event as a stand for democracy and the rule of law. She mentioned that the women from Lahore would lead the rally and pledged a peaceful protest despite the potential police action.
In order to overlook the preparations, the party had formed a 27-member organizational committee which is led by the PTI Lahore President Sheikh Imtiaz Mahmood and Secretary General Awais Younas.
At the same time, the state police force had conducted raids across Lahore and other parts of the province, taking number of party members into custody.
The PTI parliamentary leader in the Punjab Assembly, Ali Imtiaz Warraich, was briefly arrested before being released. In addition to this, a late night raid was carried out at the residence of PTI Leader Aliya Hamza, who had recently been released on the bail after a 16-month imprisonment.
Responding to this, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) had filed a petition with the Lahore High Court (LHC), seeking protection from all the detentions.
Plea had been submitted by the PTI Lahore President, Sheikh Imtiaz Mahmood and Yasir Gillani, arguing that the police are violating the constitutional rights of the party members.