Ata Tarar calls PTI jalsa ‘an attempt to get NRO for jailed leader’; Azma says people rejected Tehreek-e-Insaf in Lahore: Anticlimactic end to rally as PTI leaders lash out at govt

LAHORE: The much-anticipated Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) rally in Lahore concluded abruptly on Saturday when the Lahore police took control of the stage as soon as the permitted time ended at 6pm, switched off lights, got cleared the stage and cut off connections of loudspeakers.

Almost all PTI leaders, including party Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan, left the stage in compliance with the administration’s orders.

Despite the abrupt termination of the jalsa, KP Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur managed to reach the venue later in the evening. He briefly addressed the party workers leaving the venue and thanked them for their support. He said, “Despite blocked roads, I have arrived at the rally venue. My purpose for coming was not only to deliver a speech but also to meet the people of Lahore.”

Gandapur said, “I have come here and marked my attendance at the rally. Please accept my greetings, everyone.” Prior to Gandapur’s arrival, the Lahore police had warned the organisers of strict action if the jalsa continued beyond the permitted time. Leader of the Opposition in National Assembly Omar Ayub and various other PTI leaders, who were part of convoys from Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, failed to reach the venue on time. Reports indicated that Gandapur’s convoy was using KP’s rescue resources, including ambulances and heavy machinery, to clear road hurdles, a move that was heavily criticised by the Punjab government.

The PTI rally took place after the Lahore High Court instructed the city administration to grant an NOC, allowing the event to proceed under specific conditions. However, the local authorities enforced strict measures, including immediate conclusion of the rally at the designated time.

During the jalsa, PTI leaders voiced strong opposition to the government’s recent constitutional reforms. Barrister Gohar, in his speech, reiterated the party’s demand for an independent judiciary, while Sardar Latif Khosa criticised the government’s use of ordinances, accusing it of attempts to manipulate judicial appointments.

PTI founder Imran Khan had also called on his party members to stand firm in their struggle for “real freedom”. Despite the late arrival of Gandapur and the rally’s early end, the PTI leadership hailed the gathering as a success, commending their supporters in Lahore for organising the event.

Meanwhile, PTI activists and Lahore police continued hide-and-seek in different areas of the provincial metropolis on Saturday. A number of party workers were detained. The PTI activists pelted the police with stones, while the police resorted to firing into the air in Gulberg area to disperse small gatherings.

The PTI workers also damaged a police van in one instance. The police detained over 20 workers and shifted them to an undisclosed location. After that, the agitators blocked the Mini Market Road and set fire to tyres. A spokesperson said police were present near Origa Centre Gulberg for routine checking when some agitators attempted to attack the police. SP Model Town Akhlaqullah Tarar said no one would be allowed to take the law into their hands.

Meanwhile, the Islamabad-Lahore Motorway was partially closed due to the PTI rally in Lahore. The Motorway traffic from Islamabad to Lahore was diverted from Islamabad Toll Plaza. The Motorway remained open for traffic coming from Lahore to Islamabad.

Meanwhile, the Lahore police claimed to have arrested 12 proclaimed offenders in May 9 incidents, who had come to attend the Lahore jalsa. The Punjab police had acquired the arrest warrants for those allegedly involved in the violent incidents of May 9, 2023 and had installed face detection cameras around the rally venue. The police shifted the arrested absconders to different police stations of the city.

Correspondent adds from Toba Tek Singh: The district police continued raids at the houses of PTI activists all over Toba Tek Singh district on Friday night and Saturday to prevent them from going to Lahore to participate in the party jalsa. A PTI candidate from Rajana PP-121 Sardar Khawar Sher Gadhi and several others were arrested from Motorway (M-3) interchange at Rajana, while their vehicles were also impounded when they were proceeding to Lahore.

At Gojra, a journalist Mian Tahir Saleem was arrested, though he told the police he had no connection with the PTI.

A Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC) MNA from Gojra NA-105, Usama Hamza, told the media that in Chak 160-GB Kaleki, the house of a PTI office-bearer, Ashfaq Majeed, was raided late on Friday night. He alleged the Moongi Bangla police ransacked the house when they could not arrest him and also took away valuables from his house.

A former PTI MPA Saeed Ahmad Saeedi claimed that his cousin, a former councilor Muhammad Tahir, was arrested from Chak 301-GB, while his nephew Mian Adeem Sattar and an activist Zeeshan Azam Randhawa were also arrested. In Kamalia, a PTI leader Arsalan Ahmad Ansari was arrested.

Pointing towards ‘low attendance’ and abrupt conclusion of the PTI power show in Lahore, the ruling Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PMLN) ministers termed it a ‘failed rally’.

“People have rejected the public gathering of PTI in Lahore,” Federal Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said in televised remarks, adding that the former ruling party’s leaders had made big claims regarding the power show but all of them fell flat.

Tarar claimed the government gave a free hand to the Imran-founded party and kept the routes and access to the public gathering open, in addition to providing security, but the party “failed” to gather supporters. He said they wanted to get released their jailed leader and the jalsa was “an attempt to get an NRO”. He alleged the PTI’s intent was only to incite anarchy in the country and impede the process of development.

Separately, Senior Provincial Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb, addressing a press conference here, criticised KP Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur for using obscene language at the PTI Islamabad rally. She said such a person would not be allowed to even enter anyone’s home. Despite PTI’s history of chaos and disruption, the Punjab chief minister granted them permission to hold a rally without any hindrance.

She said it was on record that they placed 3,500 chairs at the rally venue, but still could not gather that many people. The PTI was now posting old pictures on social media to portray a different narrative, she added.

Despite all facilities provided, why Ali Amin Gandapur did not arrive in Lahore on time, she asked, accusing the PTI of attempting to incite violence. “A person sitting in jail is calling for unrest,” she said. “If they wish to compete with Maryam Nawaz, they should do so through welfare schemes such as tractor scheme, laptop scheme, solar programme, solar tube-wells, free medicine, healthcare and education facilities, and ‘Apna Ghar’ housing scheme,” Marriyum said.

Also, Punjab Information Minister Azma Bokhari claimed that masses had rejected the former ruling party by boycotting its rally in Lahore. She was addressing a press conference along with Health Minister Khawaja Imran Nazir and Law Minister Shoaib Barath.

The provincial minister declared that the PTI’s inability to gather a large crowd in Lahore exposed the party’s diminishing influence. She claimed that fewer than 3,000 people attended the rally from across the country, which highlighted the public’s disinterest in PTI’s politics.

The Punjab minister also accused the Imran-founded party of using KP’s resources for political activities in Punjab and criticised CM Gandapur for prioritising political gatherings over public service. Health Minister Khawaja Nazir said people had rejected the negative politics of PTI.

Law Minister Barath also claimed that the public could no longer be deceived by empty slogans.