• District admin issues one-time permission, tells protesters to refrain from entering Red Zone, altering route of rally
• PTI supporters march from Koral Chowk to Rawat to join long marchers
ISLAMABAD: After the district administration allowed the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) to hold a gathering in the federal capital, workers of the former ruling party thronged Rawat to listen to the address of party chief Imran Khan via video link.
PTI workers from different union councils reached Koral Chowk and later a rally, led by PTI leaders Ali Nawaz Awan and Raja Khurram, reached Rawat to join the long march which has been on the road for over two weeks.
Meanwhile, strict security measures were in place by the Islamabad police which claimed that there are “security concerns and threat to peace” if the protests entered the Red Zone.
NOC for power show
Earlier in the day, the PTI was provided a no-objection certificate by the district administration of the federal capital. According to the administration, the permission would be valid for the route from Koral Chowk to Chak Beli Mor Rawat via Express Highway and only for one day.
In response to the application filed by the PTI leader Ali Nawaz Awan, the administration approved the request with 35 conditions. The deputy commissioner (DC) informed the PTI leader that the rally was not allowed to alter the route and any deviation from the route will automatically cancel the NOC.
Section 144 would continue to be enforced in other areas and rallies will not be allowed to block any road or participants would not be allowed to cause damage to public or private property.
They were also informed that they could not carry weapons/batons and the right of movement of citizens should not suffer.
The permission was granted on the condition that no one will chant slogans against the state, religion and ideology of Pakistan. The party was also made bound that it will conduct the security check of participants and in case of any violation Ali Nawaz Awan, who had submitted the request for the NOC, will face legal proceedings.
Mr Awan, while talking to Dawn, said it was an impressive show as a large number of workers from the city reached Koral Chowk and reached Rawat.
It is worth mentioning that PTI Islamabad was facing criticism that the party had not held a single protest in the federal capital since the assassination attempt on party chairman Imran Khan on Nov 3 despite having three lawmakers and the party secretary general from Islamabad.
The party’s protests were confined to Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa where it has been in power and had no fear of arrests by the police.
However, Mr Awan claimed the city was choked entirely on the day when an assassination attempt was made on the party chairman. Later, a strategy was devised to hold protests at the borders of the federal capital, he claimed.
Addresses at rally
The rally was addressed by other PTI leaders in addition to Imran Khan. PTI Secretary General Asad Umar said the ‘Azadi march’ started with a “conspiracy in which foreign intervention is visible”.
In a criticism of the government, he said that they thought that they would use their “black money” and conspire with the help of ‘foreign patrons’ to send Imran Khan home while the “nation would watch all of this in silence”.
Another PTI leader Imran Ismail claimed the economic condition in the few months of the PDM government had deteriorated as people were losing employment, exports were declining, and businesses were shutting down.
Former interior minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed, in an apparent reference to the posting of the next army chief, said an appointment was made a key issue in Pakistan while people in Pakistan were being crushed under unprecedented inflation.
He said the world was looking towards Pakistan as it was standing at the “precipice of economic default”.
Security measures
The Islamabad police claimed there were security concerns and a threat to peace if the protests entered the Red Zone.
“There is a possibility of a terrorist attack during the rally/and public gathering which would disturb the peace of the twin cities of Rawalpindi and Islamabad and part of the country,” they added.
Any terrorist activity will provoke the participants of the public gathering due to the possible terrorism, the officers said, adding that keeping in view of the strength of 14,018 officers and officials – 4,056 from capital police, 4,791 FC, 4,675 Rangers, and 497 Sindh police – were deployed in different localities of the capital.
According to the security plan, the police and other law enforcers were equipped with tear gas, rubber bullets, gas masks, pepper guns, and spray paints to maintain law and order during the rally.
The police officers said the officers and personnel deployed at the points were divided into three teams to intercept the protestors and make arrests from flanks in case of a law and order situation.
At least 6,721 personnel were deployed in the City Zone while 2,566 law enforcers performed duties in the Rural Zone during the protest.— Hamid Asghar from Gujar Khan also contributed to the report