Lahore: The district administration has given the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) permission to hold a political rally in the provincial capital after the PTI chief, Imran Khan, warned its workers not to fall for the government “trap” and postponed the rally on Sunday.
The authorities, however, have given the permission with several conditions, including that no speeches will be made against constitutional offices, armed forces and judiciary.
In this regard, the Deputy Commissioner, Lahore wrote a letter to the PTI’s Lahore President Sheikh Imtiaz Mahmood and gave him permission to hold the PTI rally on March 13, 2023 (today) from Zaman Park to Data Darbar.
The DC’s letter stated that since holding of public rally in Lahore entailed high-security risk due to general and specific threats against political gatherings and previous instances of attack on the ex-prime minister Imran Khan in Wazirabad, the permission on the proposed route was being issued after submission of undertaking by the organiser to the effect that in case of any untoward incident, he shall be held responsible.
This would be the first rally that Khan would lead in more than four months as he was mobilising the party from his Zaman Park residence in Punjab’s capital. The PTI chief had been at home as he was “recovering” from an injury he sustained last year.
Imran Khan was shot on November 3 as he waved to crowds from a truck-mounted container while leading a protest march to Islamabad to pressure the government into announcing an early election — but it was cut short in Rawalpindi.
The general elections in Punjab are scheduled to be held on April 30, while the date for the polls in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is yet to be announced as Governor Ghulam Ali has not made a decision yet.
