ISLAMABAD: The opposition party of jailed former prime minister Imran Khan has sought permission from authorities in Rawalpindi and Lahore to hold their upcoming rallies in the two cities, threatening nationwide protests if they are denied the same. 

Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party plans to hold public gatherings in Rawalpindi and Lahore on Sept. 28 and Oct. 5, respectively. The PTI aims to build public pressure for Khan’s release, who has been in jail since August last year on multiple charges including corruption, sedition and “terrorism.” Khan denies the allegations and says they are politically motivated to keep him and his party away from forming its government. 

The PTI, which had struggled to organize rallies in the country since last year to build public pressure for Khan’s release, this month held public gatherings in Islamabad and Lahore. However, the local administration in Islamabad registered criminal cases against the party’s leadership for allegedly violating their agreement with authorities. The gathering in Lahore came to an abrupt end on Saturday after authorities cut off electricity supply to the venue, accusing the party of violating the 3-6pm deadline. 

“PTI has decided to hold political gatherings in Rawalpindi at Liaqat Bagh on Sep 28 and in Lahore’s Minar-e-Pakistan from 5pm to 11pm on Oct. 5,” the party said in a statement. “As per the instructions of founding chairman Khan, the party will hold a nationwide protest if the permission is not granted.”

In the request submitted to the Rawalpindi deputy commissioner, the PTI said it believed in the maintenance of law and order, and discipline, and was ready to cooperate with authorities to ensure a “smooth and hassle-free political gathering.”

The party claimed that the denial of its right to hold political gatherings would be tantamount to “violating the basic constitutional principle on which the foundations of a political party rests.”

PTI said it does not accept the government’s move to have the proposed constitutional amendments passed by parliament. The party said it maintains that the constitutional amendments should only be introduced in the best interests of the country and not for personal gain, adding that it was going “all-in” to stop them.

The government’s proposed 53 constitutional amendments have alarmed experts and political opponents who say are aimed at asserting the executive’s authority over key judicial appointments. The proposed amendments are expected to establish a federal constitutional court, raise the retirement age of superior judges by three years and modify the process for the appointment of chief justice of the Supreme Court of Pakistan.

The amendments have also invited protests and anger from Pakistan’s legal fraternity, who have vowed to take to the streets if the government manages to pass them with a two-thirds majority. The government, on the other hand, has vowed to build a “wider consensus” on the constitutional amendments. 

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur, a senior member of Khan’s party, this week announced that the party will hold nationwide protests to demand the independence of the judiciary and Khan’s release from prison on Friday. 

CRACKDOWN

Khan’s party says it has faced an over a year-long crackdown since protesters allegedly linked to the party attacked and damaged government and military installations on May 9, 2023 after Khan’s brief arrest that day in a land graft case.

Hundreds of PTI followers and leaders were arrested following the riots and many remain behind bars as they await trial. The military, which says Khan and his party were behind the attacks, has also initiated army court trials of at least 103 people accused of involvement in the violence.

Khan, who has been in jail since last August, was ousted from the PM’s office in 2022 in a parliamentary vote of no confidence after what is widely believed to be a falling out with Pakistan’s powerful military, which denies being involved in politics.

Since his removal, Khan and his party have waged an unprecedented campaign of defiance against the military.