- Junaid Akbar emphasises right to peaceful protest.
- KP CM alleges govt’s sole aim is silencing PTI founder.
- 45% of people live below poverty line: Sohail Afridi.
The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) on Monday announced a rally at Liaquat Bagh in Rawalpindi on April 9, warning they would take legal action if permission for the event was denied.
The rally’s date coincides with the day a no-confidence motion removed PTI founder and then prime minister Imran Khan from office in 2022. Khan, 73, has been jailed since August 2023 after convictions he and his PTI call politically motivated.
Speaking at a news conference in Islamabad alongside Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi and other party leaders, PTI KP president Junaid Akbar said that the former ruling party will hold the rally on April 9, emphasising their right to protest peacefully.
He warned that protests would take place wherever necessary if they were prevented from holding the rally.
Addressing the conference, the KP chief minister emphasised that PTI workers were a “political” entity and not an “armed mob”, alleging the ruling PML-N-led government’s sole aim was to silence the PTI founder.
He urged the PML-N-led government to issue the non-objection certificate (NOC) for the rally, saying the party would manage all arrangements itself for the political gathering.
CM Afridi also criticised the federal government over the country’s economic conditions, saying 45% of people live below the poverty line.
The news conference comes shortly after opposition leaders held a meeting in the National Assembly opposition leader’s chamber.
Sources said that the meeting included discussions on Senate candidates and the broader protest strategy, with participants such as PTI chief Barrister Gohar, Secretary General Salman Akram Raja, Senate Opposition Leader Allama Nasir Abbas, and NA Opposition Leader Mahmood Khan Achakzai attended the huddle.
Following the meeting, Barrister Gohar said PTI would approach the courts if they were denied permission for the Rawalpindi rally.
In an informal conversation with the media at the Parliament House, the PTI chief said the rally is meant to show the party’s commitment to peace.
