Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has decided to hold a public rally at Minar-e-Pakistan on February 8, for which a request has been submitted to the Lahore administration.
According to media reports, PTI has decided to hold a power show at Greater Iqbal Park.
The party has appointed Chief Organiser Aliya Hamza to oversee the event, and she has submitted a written request to the deputy commissioner of Lahore seeking approval for the rally.
The request outlines that PTI wishes to hold the rally at the Greater Iqbal Park ground and an NOC (No Objection Certificate) is being sought from the authorities.
The organising committee for the rally includes Aliya Hamza, opposition leader in the Punjab Assembly Malik Ahmad Khan Bhachar, and Ali Ijaz Butt.
PTI sources have stated that if permission is not granted, the party plans to stage a nationwide protest in response.
On Tuesday, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) chapter President Junaid Akbar has warned of a nationwide campaign against the ruling coalition, citing the government’s lack of commitment to resolving political tensions through dialogue.
Speaking to a local TV news channel, Akbar said the opposition’s willingness to negotiate was wrongly interpreted as a sign of weakness. His remarks came after PTI skipped the fourth round of talks with the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N)-led coalition government earlier on Tuesday, effectively stalling the negotiation process.
PTI and the ruling alliance initiated talks in December last year to lower the political temperature in the country.
However, the dialogue process derailed as PTI accused the government of failing to form judicial commissions to investigate the May 9, 2023, protests and the crackdown on PTI demonstrators in Islamabad on November 26, 2024.
Akbar, who was recently elected Public Accounts Committee (PAC) chairman unopposed, admitted that while PTI aimed to make negotiations work, the current trajectory suggested a deadlock.
He confirmed PTI’s intention to abandon negotiations in favor of street protests. “Yes, definitely,” he said when asked if the party would now seek solutions on the streets.
He announced a series of protest plans, including district-level demonstrations on February 8 against alleged election rigging and a large-scale protest at Islamabad’s D-Chowk.
The PTI leader stressed that this time, the party would not engage in negotiations during its street protests.
Hinting at significant changes within PTI, he revealed that the party’s “homoeopathic leadership” would be replaced by hardliners after a reorganization scheduled for May.
He also announced plans to revamp the provincial cabinet, with two new members expected to join Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur’s team.