Postponed August 22 rally at establishment’s request, Imran Khan claims | The Express Tribune

Former Prime Minister and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder, Imran Khan, has admitted that his planned rally on August 22 was postponed at the request of the establishment, citing concerns over potential unrest in the country.

During an informal conversation with journalists at Adiala Jail, Imran revealed that Azam Swati, acting as an intermediary on behalf of the establishment, approached him early that morning to request the rally’s postponement.

Swati conveyed that with a cricket match and protests by religious parties in Islamabad, the rally could fuel instability.

Imran added that the establishment guaranteed full support for an alternate rally scheduled for September 8.

“I postponed the August 22 rally for the sake of Pakistan,” he said.

In response to a question, Imran dismissed suggestions that he sought legal relief for personal gain, stating that he had been offered a deal to remain silent for three years, which would have led to his cases being dropped.

“If I wanted relief, I would have fled the country,” he remarked.

Imran also warned of launching a strong protest movement if Justice Qazi Faez Isa is reinstated, calling him the most biased judge in the country’s history.

Cases filed against PTI leaders over Islamabad rally violations

Police in Islamabad have filed three cases against the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leadership for failing to conclude a rally on time, pelting stones on police officers, and violating designated routes.

The cases were registered under the Public Order and Peace Act, following the PTI’s public gathering.

The first case was lodged at Sangjani Police Station for the rally exceeding its permitted time limit.

A second case was registered at Sumbal Police Station for violating the pre-approved route by leading convoys through Sadaat Colony and Srinagar Highway.

The third case, filed at Noon Police Station, pertains to stone-pelting on law enforcement officials, including senior superintendent of police (SSP) Safe City and other officers.

Earlier today, federal ministers Attaullah Tarar and Engineer Amir Maqam alleged that attendees at the opposition’s recent rally were forced to participate, accusing the opposition of using unethical tactics to fill their event.

Speaking at a press conference in Islamabad, the ministers criticized the opposition, particularly the Chief Minister of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, for his use of provocative language at the rally.

Yesterday, after a long gap, Imran Khan’s beleaguered party finally managed to hold a massive rally in Islamabad amid clashes with the capital’s police which left dozens of policemen and PTI workers injured.

Authorities had granted permission to the PTI to hold a public gathering in the capital on Sunday.

However, they had also turned Islamabad literally into a walled city with shipping containers blocking all the roads linking it to neighboring Rawalpindi in anticipation of the rally and over 6,000 personnel of police and the Frontier Constabulary (FC) manning the routes.

Public transportation, including the Metro Bus service between Rawalpindi and Islamabad, as well as the Green and Blue Line bus services within Islamabad, were suspended while trains arriving in Islamabad and Rawalpindi were delayed.

All hotels, guest houses, and shops around the gathering venue were also closed on the order of the relevant police station.

A day before the PTI’s 8 September rally, the PML-N led federal government had brought a new piece of legislation Peaceful Assembly and Public Order Act, 2024 to regulate permissions for public gatherings and stiffen up the punishments against violators.

The recent Islamabad rally too was held after court intervention.

Despite these obstacles, a large number of PTI workers reached the rally which was addressed by a number of PTI and opposition parties’ leaders.

During his address, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur announced that Lahore would be the next battleground.