Supporters clash with police at PTI rally as leaders demand Imran's release – Pakistan

PTI leaders rallied in the suburbs of Islamabad on Sunday, demanding the immediate release of their founder, Imran Khan, while criticising the government for marginalising the party as police fired tear gas to disperse the crowd.

The party held the rally today to garner support for the release of Imran, who has been in jail since August last year. Imran was due to be released from prison after a district and sessions court accepted appeals against his conviction in the Iddat case.

However, the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) arrested him in a new Toshakhana case soon after.

His sentences in Toshakhana's two previous cases had already been suspended while he was acquitted by the Islamabad High Court (IHC) in the encryption case.

The rally began with party leader Hammad Azhar addressing the crowd, saying that supporters had gathered today to establish the rule of law and the supremacy of the Constitution in the country.

He added that no obstacle would discourage them today.

We will, God willing, ensure the release of Imran Khan.

Speaking at the rally, PTI leader Ali Muhammad Khan demanded Imran's immediate release and deplored the manner in which party leaders were being sidelined by the government.

“I never thought that one day Imran Khan, who founded our party to save Pakistan, would be put in jail,” Ali Muhammad said.

PTI chief Ali Muhammad Khan speaks at a party rally in the suburbs of Islamabad on September 8. DawnNews TV

He added that today neither PTI stalwarts Murad Saeed nor Shehryar Khan Afridi were present at the rally nor Qasim Khan Suri.

Why can't Murad Saeed come out of hiding? Is it a crime to love Pakistan or to tell the truth? We will continue to tell the truth, just like our children, he said.

Today, the largest party of Pakistan is in Pakistan, but our workers cannot go to parliament. What is their crime?

PTI maverick Sher Afzal Khan Marwat said: “We have a message for the Pashtuns that we will go to Punjab within a week and Ali Ami Gandapur will tell you the date.”

These people who built the containers, whose police charged you with batons, I want them to listen. [that] We are arriving in Lahore, said Marwat.

Meanwhile, during her speech, PTI member Aliya Hamza Malik questioned whether Pakistanis wanted real freedom and rights or they wanted to continue witnessing enforced disappearances in the country.

Do you want a Pakistan for future generations or a Pakistan where your homes are attacked? Come out and demand the release of Imran Khan, you will all come to support me, because I know you stand with the leader in Adiala.

He will see how he has sown fear within the government. We must mobilize for the release of our leaders now.

Clashes between supporters and police

Towards the end of the rally, clashes broke out between PTI supporters and police who were trying to disperse them. Footage broadcast on television and social media showed police firing tear gas shells to disperse the crowd.

According to police, the local administration had set a time for the rally, but as it went beyond the scheduled hours, police had to try to disperse the supporters, leading to clashes and the ultimate use of tear gas.

The police added that by exceeding the stipulated time, the organisers of the rally had violated the rules and regulations detailed in the No Objection Certificate (NOC) issued to the party. Thus, the DC of Islamabad ordered the police to disperse the participants, directing the police and the administration to take strict action.

According to a notification dated September 8, a copy of which is available on Dawn.com, the scheduled meeting time was from 4 pm to 7 pm. The organisers of the rally were informed of the time at 6 pm, the notification read.

An image showing tear gas shells being fired during the PTI rally near Islamabad. PTI Official on X

Police and PTI workers clashed at Chungi No 26, where workers allegedly pelted stones at police officers who intervened. Safe City Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Shoaib Khan was among several policemen injured in the clash, police said.

Meanwhile, police shelling continued to disperse workers from the area.

Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi took note of the clashes and sought a report from the Inspector General of Police Islamabad. According to a statement from the Interior Ministry, Naqvi was in touch with the injured policemen and ordered that the best medical facilities be provided to the injured policemen.

A shameful and stupid gesture

Condemning the police intervention during the rally, PTI's Azhar called it a foolish act in a post on X.

“What a stupid decision to start bombing peaceful participants,” he wrote. This will raise the political temperature in a situation where public opinion is already furious with the 47 government.

Meanwhile, speaking to the media, Awaam Pakistan Chairman Shahid Khaqan Abbasi said that people should be allowed to protest and authorities should learn from past mistakes.

If someone protests, let them do so. We must learn from the past and allow people to express themselves.

PTI and PML-N will emerge if there is unity, he added.

We must not think about a party or a seat, but about the country as a whole.

Prominent PTI member and former President of Pakistan Dr Arif Alvi also spoke to X to criticise the police's attempts to disperse the rally.

“This is a shameful, cruel, cowardly and senseless act. A conspiracy to destroy a peaceful gathering,” he wrote. “I appeal to the people to remain peaceful, as those who can impose a fake May 9 can wave all kinds of false flags. May God destroy the enemies of Pakistan.”

Government says people rejected PTI rally

Meanwhile, Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said the people of the country had rejected the PTI rally.

According to state-run Radio Pakistan, Tarar said the PTI was spreading lies and propaganda by posting fake videos on social media.

The PTI leaders in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa have miserably failed to mobilise the masses, he said according to the report.

Tarar, according to the report, added that it was the democratic right of a political party to hold a public rally, so there was nothing special in this regard.

However, the rally is expected to end within the time allowed by the district administration, he said.

A highly anticipated gathering

The rally, originally scheduled for July and then late August, was postponed twice after authorities revoked permission, citing security risks and fears of unrest.

For several months, the PTI has been trying to get permission to hold a public meeting in the capital, but the administration has not allowed it.

The party sought permission from the Islamabad High Court (IHC) in March after receiving no response from the district administration.

In July, the PTI had announced a protest but it was postponed as the district administration did not allow it to hold the protest. The meeting was rescheduled for August 22, but the district administration cancelled the NOC at the last minute, setting a new date for September 8.

Police block Islamabad entry points ahead of rally

As the party finalised its preparations for today's rally, the capital police blocked almost all entry points into the city amid intelligence reports of a medium-level terror threat in light of the political rally.

The 21 points blocked with containers are Nicholsons Monument, New Margalla Road turn on GT Road, Sangjani Toll, Water Tank on Margalla Road, New Margalla Road Loop opposite F-10/2, 26 Number Chongi, Zero Point, Faisal Chowk, Khayban Chowk, Rawat T-Cross, Khanna Bridge, Tramri Chowk, Shahpur Road turn, U-turn on Murree Road, Bridge on Murree Road near Traffic Office, Faizabad, 9th Avenue, Gandum Godown, Golra Mor Haji Camp, Old Motorway Toll and Tarnol Phattak, they added. All roads leading to the red zone except Margalla Road are also blocked.

PTI supporters try to climb on stage during a party rally in the suburbs of Islamabad on September 8. DawnNews TV

The party's spokesperson in Punjab, Shaukat Basra, said in a message on X that the Punjab police hierarchy had given unconstitutional orders to its formations across the province (to arrest workers).

Speaking to Dawn, Basra said the party leadership had changed its strategy following the police action and had asked its workers in the province to go to Islamabad individually. The workers were asked to avoid police action and go to Islamabad individually, Basra said.

The district administration earlier this week issued a no-objection certificate to the public gathering in the suburbs of Islamabad, with a condition that the permission can be cancelled at any time in the event of a security situation.

The venue, a 350-kanal complex located on Paswal Road near Sangjani, is said to be under the control of the military establishment.

The choice of venue has also energised PTI workers as they feel that the ice has started to melt between the PTI and the powers that be.

Fascist government

Senior PTI leader and former National Assembly Speaker Asad Qaiser denounced the placing of containers and police blockades as measures of a fascist government creating a hostile environment.

It is unfortunate that this fascist government with a stolen mandate is creating such a hostile environment, Qaiser said in a video message uploaded by PTI on X. They approved the NOC and the court allowed the rally, but Rawalpindi was shut down.

He accused the government of defying court orders by trying to block access routes to the rally.

They themselves are breaking the law, and yet they lecture us about it, he said.

Sources 1/ https://Google.com/ 2/ https://www.dawn.com/news/1857709 The mention sources can contact us to remove/changing this article

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