Imran Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party set to stage rally in Islamabad
The Hindu
Tense atmosphere in Islamabad as PTI rally seeks release of jailed former PM Imran Khan, testing government and party.
Pakistan's capital was tense on Sunday (September 8, 2024) ahead of a planned rally by jailed former Prime Minister Imran Khan's party to press the government for his release.
Mr. Khan has been in jail since his arrest on August 5, 2023. The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) rally is being held on a ground near the Sangjani Cattle Market in the suburbs of Islamabad.
The Islamabad district administration has already issued a no-objection certificate (NOC) for the rally, and preparations are in the final stages.
Also Read: Pakistan at risk of parochialism, says former PM Imran Khan
After the city administration revoked its no-objection certificate and sealed roads leading to the federal capital on August 22, the party put off its public gathering in Islamabad and rescheduled it for September 8.
PTI announced that the rally would begin at 2 p.m.. PTI Chairman Gohar Ali Khan said on Saturday (September 7) that the rally would be peaceful.
"Our rally will be peaceful, and we have an NOC. No obstacles should be placed in our way," he said. It would be the first major rally by the PTI in Islamabad since the February 8 elections. The party wants to exert pressure on the government to release Khan who languishes in jail despite the courts either acquitting him or giving him bail in all cases he was convicted.
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