LAHORE
The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has received official permission from the district administration to hold a rally at Lahore Ring Road, Kahna on Saturday, September 21. This approval comes following a directive from the Lahore High Court, which ordered the district administration to make a decision on PTI’s rally request by 5pm.
The Deputy Commissioner’s office issued the permit, specifying that the rally will take place at Ring Road, Kahna instead of the originally planned Minar-e-Pakistan venue. The PTI has been authorised to hold its gathering between 3pm and 6pm.
Earlier in the day, the opposition leader of Punjab, Malik Ahmad Khan Bhachar, along with several members of the Punjab Assembly, visited the Minar-e-Pakistan site only to find the gates locked and a heavy police presence barring their entry.
The district administration, in a proactive move, has restricted public access to Minar-e-Pakistan by locking all gates and placing containers on the access roads. A significant police deployment has also been stationed at the site. Meanwhile, PTI’s preparations for the Lahore rally have entered the final stages. A convoy led by Chief Minister of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Ali Amin Gandapur is scheduled to depart from Swabi tomorrow morning. The PTI leadership has instructed each candidate to bring along 500 supporters. The convoy, headed by the chief minister, will carry machinery to remove any obstacles encountered on the route.
Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa’s Information Adviser, Barrister Saif, confirmed that all preparations for the Lahore rally have been completed. “A sea of people from Swabi will head towards Lahore,” he declared, urging the government not to create hurdles for the rally. “Maryam Nawaz should keep her composure,” he added.
