After leading an election rally in Lahore, former prime minister and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan on Monday announced his party would hold a "historic" rally at Minar-e-Pakistan in the provincial capital on Sunday.
"I will hold a public gathering at Minar-e-Pakistan on Sunday at 2pm. We are in this struggle together," Imran said while addressing his supporters from inside his bullet-proof vehicle.
Earlier, a team of Islamabad police official had arrived in Lahore to arrest the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chairman.
After the non-bailable arrest warrant of Imran Khan was issued in the case pertaining to threatening a female judge earlier in the day, a team of Islamabad police arrived in the Punjab capital to arrest the deposed prime minister on a special helicopter, Express News reported.
Imran had alleged that Additional Sessions Judge Zeba Chaudhry knew that incarcerated party leader Shahbaz Gill was tortured, but she did not release him on bail. The former premier was booked in a terrorism case on the complaint of Islamabad Saddar Magistrate Ali Javed for threatening the additional sessions judge.
Meanwhile, after deferring it twice, the PTI finally received a conditional nod for staging its election rally today which was originally scheduled to take place on Sunday.
On the directions of Punjab Caretaker Chief Minister Mohsin Raza Naqvi, the Lahore district administration met with the party’s leadership to discuss the rally, its route and security arrangements.
Speaking to the media, PTI Vice Chairman Shah Mahmood Qureshi announced that Imran would personally lead the party’s election rally today.
He asked the party activists and supporters to remain peaceful as the government wanted to “create an atmosphere of panic and chaos” to “avoid holding the elections”.
LHC moved against Section 144 in Lahore
Earlier today, the Lahore High Court (LHC) sought replies by March 14 from concerned quarters including the caretaker government on a plea filed by PTI challenging the imposition of a ban on protests and rallies under Section 144 of Cr.P.C.
The PTI had moved the LHC against the imposition of Section 144 and sought security for their rally today.
The petition, filed by PTI leader Hammad Azhar through advocate Azhar Siddique, questioned how could such illegal acts be performed in spite of the issuance of the election schedule by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP).
The petition contended that after the announcement of the election date for April 30, 2023, in Punjab, the PTI announced its election campaign from March 12, 2023, and moved an application before the interior secretary seeking a no-objection certification (NOC) for conducting rallies. It continued that the PTI was granted conditional permission to hold the rally.
According to the petition on March 12, the deputy commissioner of Lahore “illegally and unlawfully” imposed Section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code in the provincial capital, banning and restricting the petitioner’s political party to hold their electoral campaign.
“All efforts were made specifically to sabotage and restrain the PTI from conducting its rally well in advance of a fully scheduled rightful, lawful and constitutional political rally,” the petition maintained.