Footage showed PTI supporters and leaders clearing the stage, leaving it empty
The much-awaited PTI conference in Lahore appeared to end on an incredibly somber tone. As twilight descended, shadows fell over the area, and police hurriedly cleared the stage as the clock reached six o’clock—the end of the allocated period. Earlier on Saturday, party leaders had made a few addresses to their followers who had gathered at Kahna, on the Ring Road of the city.
The party said on its YouTube livestream that even the sound system was turned off because of the terms of the no-objection certificate, while supporters pulled out their iPhones and used them to light up the gathering area.
The revolution’s final gasps! Marriyum Aurangzeb, a minister from Punjab, made a joke at the party event by posting pictures of the empty stage at 6:38 p.m.
Similarly, Azma Bokhari, the Punjab Minister of Information, referred to the occasion as “PTI’s funeral.”
By the time the deadline expired, neither Omar Ayub, the leader of the opposition in the National Assembly, nor Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa had arrived at the location. Later, Gandapur was able to arrive at the location.
He expressed his gratitude to the people of KP and Lahore for attending the demonstration and “combatting fascism” in a video message.
He declared that he would deliver his scheduled speech on Sunday in its place and that the PTI supported the judiciary and rejected the “Form 47” administration and any constitutional amendments made by it.
Shortly after the event concluded, Information Minister Attaullah Tarar called a press conference.I called it a “flop” and claimed that the PTI had fallen short of expectations.
They made a lot of promises and spoke extensively about the Lahore event. Similar to Islamabad, the Lahore rally was a complete bust.
The minister insisted that the PTI had “free access” to the provincial capital and that all of the routes were open.
Tarar stated, “Ali Amin Gandapur arrived via the M2 and was never stopped at Attock.”
“We guaranteed their safety while granting them complete freedom. Tarar, who said that PTI supporters “want the nation to fail” and that they have nothing to complain over, added that “even with all this preparation and after all this time, they failed to galvanise their followers from across the country.”
“Now, inflation is in a single-digit range. Why are you removing protest signs? The minister stated, “The PTI wants to bring chaos and devastation to all of Pakistan.
“The only goal of their press conferences is to free their leader in order to obtain an NRO (National Reconciliation Ordinance).”
In a previous press conference, Bokhari insisted that the low turnout for the PTI rally served as the party leadership’s “report card.”
“To counter the propaganda spread by PTI followers, I filmed videos while traveling on Mall Road, Ring Road, and in Defense,” the woman stated. “They say there are obstacles and containers preventing them from getting to the venue, but I didn’t see a single PTI flag there. They haven’t taken up arms.
“This has not been such a tranquil weekend,” she said.included.
The minister supplied a paper that had the alleged attendance data for the demonstration, broken down by Punjabi district.
“We have an estimate of the number of visitors and cars that arrived,” she remarked. “We’ll provide the PTI with this information to make ticketing much easier.”
Up to 1,600 persons from Lahore, 235-298 from Sheikhupura, 65-85 from Gujranwala, 116-146 from Rawalpindi, 63-77 from Faisalabad, 205-241 from Sargodha, from 26-32 from Sahiwal, 100-150 from DG Khan, and 41-49 from Bahawalpur joined the demonstration, according to the numbers she released.
The minister declared, “A total of 3000 people from Punjab are present at this rally,” and that the PTI had been “eradicated” from the province. “The Punjabi people have rejected
the politics of hatred and separation.
But the PTI praised its followers for the Lahore turnout, referring to it as a “tsunami.”
Also included was an AI-generated video message that PTI founder and former prime minister Imran Khan approved.
“You have never abandoned me,” Imran wrote in the message. “Once more, you stood up for real freedom in the face of government restrictions.”
He asserted that the PTI was entitled by the constitution to hold rallies and mentioned that the party had been denied permission to do so in Lahore for the previous eighteen months.
He declared, “This is the first government in our nation’s history that is openly destroying democracy.”
“We wanted to defend freedom, democracy, and the Supreme Court,” Imran continued.
He compared the current political environment to that of East Pakistan in 1971, claiming that the destruction of democracy was being done so for political advantage. He went on, “The country will be irreparably damaged if we do not learn from this.”
Imran declared, “I implore the youth to speak out against this government that seeks to hold them back and destroy democracy.” “Acquire the call whenever the PTI asks you to stand up for the Constitution.”
Earlier footage released by the party captured large crowds at the event site as PTI leaders crowded the stage.
Late Friday night, the PTI was ultimately given permission to organize the rally, subject to meeting 43 criteria, ending the standoff with the Punjab government.
The gathering had earlier requested authorization to host the much awaited event at the famous Greater Iqbal Park, home of Minar-i-Pakistan. On the Lahore Ring Road, Kahna was given the assignment instead.
PTI-shared videos purport to show party leaders Ayub and CM Gandpur on their way as they attempted to “open” their path to Kahna.
Party workers managed to get past the barricades near the Attock toll plaza with the help of Chief Minister Gandapur, as seen in a video that PTI released on X.
In a video message that was uploaded on X, Ayub stated, “Our convoy will meet KP CM […] and then, god willing, we will go towards Lahore.”
In response to a query on obstacles and detours along the route, the leader of the opposition stated: “We have machinery, we will open the go on your way. Nobody is able to stop us.
Just before 3 p.m., when the rally was supposed to start, Aurangzeb wrote on X that PTI had not been able to fill even “three dozen” seats.
She stated there was “no doubt” since her party would broadcast the original scenes this time, refuting the party’s assertion that it had presented “fake and outdated videos” of the prior gathering.
Videos that were posted by the PTI Lahore account allegedly showed party leaders and employees traveling to Lahore from different parts of Punjab and KP.
But it said that traffic was barred at the Rajana junction.
Five PTI leaders have been given detention orders.
Five PTI leaders, including its Lahore branch, were placed under detention orders earlier today by Lahore Deputy Commissioner (DC) Syed Musa Raza. included Vice President Akmal Khan Bari of Lahore.
Five PTI leaders were to be held for 30 days following their detention under sub-section (1) of Section 3 of the Punjab Maintenance of Public ruling Ordinance (MPO), according to the ruling, a copy of which is accessible on Dawn.com.
Shahzaib Khan, Akhtar Munna, Mazhar Shah, Raja Shafiq, and Bari were among the PTI leaders, according to the order, which also stated that they were “prejudicial to the public safety” and MPO.
According to the statement, “They incite the public through their objectionable speeches and create problems for the law enforcement agencies,” the leaders were always pushing to undermine law and order and public harmony.
Later, he gave the rally organizers instructions to follow the 6pm deadline and the time to end the gathering should be immediately implemented.
“Violation of NOC will be dealt with according to law,” he said.
‘43 conditions’
The Punjab government has set “43 conditions”, one of which is a public apology from CM Gandapur for his widely condemned speech at PTI’s Islamabad gathering on Sept 8.
While the PTI team said it refused to guarantee an apology, Insaf Lawyers Forum President Ishtiaq Ahmad Khan said Gandapur “may clarify his position during his speech at the Lahore power show”.
Another stipulation is that the rally be held between 3pm and 6pm. However, Ishtiaq Ahmad said the PTI team did not agree to this and the deputy commissioner agreed that the government would not force this condition.
An officer in the Chief Minister’s Office told Dawn that the government had officially decided to allow the PTI to hold its power show but would make ‘clandestine’ efforts to reduce the turnout from outside Lahore.
The permission letter carrying 43 conditions made organisers responsible for ensuring stage security, security of male and female enclosures, emergency exits, measures for avoiding and controlling stampedes and adequate parking by hiring private security and volunteers.
One restriction stated that mass public rallies from outside of the city should not disturb life within Lahore. It also stated that no anti-state or anti-institution sloganeering and statements be made during the power show.
Another condition stated that all those facing cases for hate speech at the previous Islamabad rally should not be allowed to participate or appear on stage. It also said no proclaimed offender would participate in the public meeting.
Similarly, no Afghan flag would be allowed to be hoisted and no “Afghan-paid manpower” to be brought to the rally. Another condition mentioned that in case of any untoward incident, the organisers would be held responsible.
The rally had been a bone of contention since July when PTI initially sought permission for the public meeting.
The Punjab government eventually allowed the PTI rally after the Lahore High Court’s three-member bench ordered DC Raza to decide on the PTI application by 5pm yesterday.
An officer in the Chief Minister’s Office told Dawn that the government had officially decided to allow the PTI to hold its power show but would make ‘clandestine’ efforts to reduce the turnout from outside Lahore.
The permission letter carrying 43 conditions made organisers responsible for ensuring stage security, security of male and female enclosures, emergency exits, measures for avoiding and controlling stampedes and adequate parking by hiring private security and volunteers.
One restriction stated that mass public rallies from outside of the city should not disturb life within Lahore. It also stated that no anti-state or anti-institution sloganeering and statements be made during the power show.
Another condition stated that all those facing cases for hate speech at the previous Islamabad rally should not be allowed to participate or appear on stage. It also said no proclaimed offender would participate in the public meeting.
Similarly, no Afghan flag would be allowed to be hoisted and no “Afghan-paid manpower” to be brought to the rally. Another condition mentioned that in case of any untoward incident, the organisers would be held responsible.
The rally had been a bone of contention since July when PTI initially sought permission for the public meeting.
The Punjab government eventually allowed the PTI rally after the Lahore High Court’s three-member bench ordered DC Raza to decide on the PTI application by 5pm yesterday.
be allowed to participate or appear on stage. It also said no proclaimed offender would participate in the public meeting.
Similarly, no Afghan flag would be allowed to be hoisted and no “Afghan-paid manpower” to be brought to the rally. Another condition mentioned that in case of any untoward incident, the organisers would be held responsible.
The rally had been a bone of contention since July when PTI initially sought permission for the public meeting.
The Punjab government eventually allowed the PTI rally after the Lahore High Court’s three-member bench ordered DC Raza to decide on the PTI application by 5pm yesterday.be permitted to take part or show up on stage. No proclaimed offender would attend the public meeting, it further stated.
Likewise, no “Afghan-paid manpower” would be permitted to be transported to the demonstration or an Afghan flag raised. An additional requirement stated that the organizers will be held accountable in the event of any unfavorable incidence.
Since PTI first requested permission for the public gathering in July, the demonstration has been a source of conflict.
After DC Raza was instructed by the three-member bench of the Lahore High Court to rule on the PTI application by 5 p.m. yesterday, the Punjab government finally granted permission for the PTI gathering.
