The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has canceled its rally scheduled at Tarnol Chowk in Islamabad after a legal dispute with local authorities led to the revocation of the previously granted No Objection Certificate (NOC).
Initially, the PTI had planned to proceed with the rally despite the permit’s revocation, but later decided to cancel the event in the federal capital.
The decision was announced during a press conference by PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar, accompanied by Ali Muhammad Khan, Asad Qaiser, and other party leaders.
Read more: PTI Permitted to Hold Power Show in Islamabad on July 6
“We have decided to cancel today’s rally, which was intended to uphold the constitution,” Gohar stated.
He clarified that the NOC had been issued after four months and argued that it could not be suspended based on statements from the Deputy Commissioner or Chief Commissioner.
Yesterday, the district administration of Islamabad revoked permission for PTI’s public gathering scheduled at Turnol on Peshawar Road.
Despite this, PTI filed a petition with the Islamabad High Court (IHC) seeking legal recourse.
“There were no judges present at the high court,” Gohar mentioned, indicating their plan to proceed with the rally once they had obtained the necessary legal permissions.
“We had hoped to secure the necessary legal permissions and go ahead with the rally,” he added.
PTI leader Omar Ayub criticized the Islamabad administration, stating, “The administration had initially granted permission for today’s rally, but police sealed the area overnight. The DC Islamabad had signed the orders; were they under the influence when they granted the permission?”
He claimed that despite court orders, rally equipment was removed late at night.
“The Tarnol site was provided by the administration themselves. They revoked the NOC out of fear of PTI workers. Two brothers of Azhar Mashwani were detained. We will question the budget allocation for these operations compared to that for schools,” Ayub stated.
The Islamabad administration had initially granted PTI permission to hold the rally at Peshawar Road, Tarnol. However, the permit was revoked over ‘security and terrorism concerns,’ leading to PTI’s decision to cancel the rally despite their initial resolve to proceed.
A high-level meeting, chaired by the Islamabad deputy commissioner and attended by security officials, assessed the current security situation. However, no political party representatives attended the meeting despite invitations.
Earlier today, following the meeting, the Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly, Omar Ayub, addressed the media, confirming the party’s plans.
“We will approach the high court in the morning,” he said.
Ayub detailed that party workers would start arriving at 2 pm, with convoys expected to reach Tarnol by 3 pm.
