ISLAMABAD: The chief commissioner of Islamabad has forbidden former Prime Minister Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party from holding a rally in the federal capital tomorrow, Thursday, due to what he cited as security threats and a lack of resources, his office said in a notification.
Last month, the PTI announced it was postponing a public rally planned in Islamabad because the district administration had revoked permission. The gathering on the outskirts of the Pakistani capital was meant to put pressure for the release of Khan, who has been in jail since last August. All four convictions handed down to him ahead of a parliamentary election in February have either been suspended or overturned but he remains in jail on new charges. Khan says all legal cases against him are politically motivated.
Ali Amin Gandapur, a senior member of the PTI and chief minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, announced on Aug. 5 that the party would hold a rally in Islamabad in the last week of August or first week of September. The date for the gathering was subsequently set for Aug. 22.
“Considering the opinions of the law enforcement agencies, concerned departments, and after reviewing the situation, I have reached at the conclusion that the current law and order situation in Islamabad does not permit for holding of such a gathering/jalsa [rally] in Islamabad on 22-08-2024 which necessitates the cancelation of the NOC [permission] dated 31-07-2024 granted by the Deputy Commissioner, Islamabad,” a notification from the chief commissioner’s office dated Aug. 21 said.
Elaborating on reasons for not granting permission, the chief commissioner said an assessment of the institutional capacity of the capital city police was sought, in response to which the Inspector General of Islamabad Police had said he did not have the available resources to manage the security needs of the PTI rally due to multiple events occurring simultaneously in Islamabad.
Recently, religious groups have held violent protests against a blasphemy ruling by the Supreme Court and the Bangladesh cricket team is also in Pakistan for two Test matches, for which police has been deployed to provide security.
“It is expected that the people coming for the [PTI] rally have a plan for a prolonged stay and also bringing items such as tear gas, masks, bedding or sleeping bags, and food provisions, indicates their determination to turn the jalsa into a sit-in,” the notification said.
Pointing out that there were 46 embassies in Islamabad’s sensitive Red Zone, home to important government buildings like parliament and the Supreme Court, the notification called on authorities in different provinces, particularly Punjab, to prevent participants from entering Islamabad for the planned rally on Aug. 22.
The chief commissioner said the Special Branch had also declined to give a go-ahead for the rally due to “threats against public gatherings” and the “current law and order situation.” Representatives of the ISI, MI and IB intelligence agencies had also expressed concerns, “citing the law and order situation, threat alerts, the presence of the Bangladesh Cricket Team, and recent disturbances caused by Khatm-e-Nabuwat [anti blasphemy] rallies in the Red Zone.”
“The agencies referred to the past conduct and track record of the PTI which indicates that a severe law and order situation might arise; and strongly recommended that no political rallies should be allowed under the current circumstances,” the notification concluded.
The PTI, which aims to mobilize the public for the release of its leader, has been struggling to hold rallies across the country since August last year when Khan was arrested on multiple charges and subsequently convicted in four cases, all of which have been quashed by higher courts. The party says it is facing a state-backed crackdown and the mass arrest of its members and supporters for standing by Khan. Pakistani authorities deny the allegations.
The crackdown against the PTI began after alleged supporters of the party attacked and damaged government and military installations on May 9, 2023, after Khan’s brief arrest that day in a graft case. The attacks took place a little over a year after Khan fell out with Pakistan’s powerful military, blaming the institution for colluding with his political rivals to oust him from office in a parliamentary vote in April 2022. The military rejects the allegations.
Hundreds of PTI workers and leaders were arrested following the May 9 riots and many remain behind bars as they await trial. The military has also initiated army court trials of at least 103 people accused of involvement in the violence. Many close Khan aides have since deserted him, due to what is widely believed to be pressure from the army, which denies interfering in politics.
Khan has recently made a “conditional” offer of talks to the army, if “clean and transparent” elections were held and the “bogus” cases against his supporters were dropped. The military, which has repeatedly said Khan and his party were behind the May 9 attacks, has ruled out any talks with him.
