LAHORE (PEN) : The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) is set to demonstrate its public strength today in Lahore.
Preparations for the rally have begun, with stages being set up and the venue decorated.
Supporters, carrying party banners and posters, have started arriving at the site.
The district administration has granted conditional permission for a rally at Ring Road’s Kahna area. The Deputy Commissioner has already issued the official notification.
The district administration has allowed the PTI to hold the rally from 3pm to 6pm.
According to the notification, organisers would be responsible to ensure security for both male and female enclosures, manage crowd control, and manage parking through private security and volunteers.
Additionally, the Chief Minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa was required to apologise for a speech made on September 8 in Islamabad.
The notification stipulated that incoming groups from outside the city should not disrupt daily life. No slogans or statements against the state or institutions would be allowed during the rally according to the notification.
Furthermore, no absconders would be allowed to participate or appear on stage; failure to comply would result in legal action against the organisers.
Other conditions included a ban on displaying Afghan flags, appointing focal persons to liaise with local police, and cooperation with traffic police to establish a detailed traffic plan.
The organisers would also be responsible for setting up barbed wire along the Lahore Ring Road and Kahna to secure the area.
Additionally, entry with sticks or weapons was strictly prohibited. The use of fireworks and incendiary slogans was forbidden, and burning effigies or flags of any political or religious group would not be tolerated.
The district administration has mentioned that security within and around the rally site was the responsibility of the organisers, who would be held accountable for any unforeseen incidents.
Given the overall security situation and potential threats, organisers were reminded to take all necessary precautions to ensure the safety of participants and the public.
Additionally, caravans from Peshawar, led by the Chief Minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, were also expected to make their way to Lahore to join the rally.
Earlier, the Lahore High Court (LHC) directed the deputy commissioner to make a decision regarding the PTI rally by 5pm.
The directive was issued during a hearing on a petition filed by PTI leaders Aliya Hamza and Sheikh Imtiaz Mehmood, seeking permission for a rally at Minar-e-Pakistan.
The case was heard by Justice Muhammad Tariq Nadeem and Justice Farooq Haider.