KARACHI: Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Co-chairman Asif Zardari on Sunday cancelled his plan to attend a rally in Lower Dir District in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on Sunday. The former president was due to deliver a public speech but cancelled his plan at the last moment as he did not get security clearance to participate in the public gathering. Former prime minister Yousuf Raza Gilani delivered a speech on his behalf alongside other leaders. The country is in thegrip of a new wave of political rallies ahead of next year’s general elections during which the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) will lock horns. Earlier, the party held a massive demonstration in Lahore over a power outage in Punjab where several party leaders, including Aitzaz Ahsan, Khursheed Shah and Qamar Zaman Kaira spoke.