ISLAMABAD, Jan 30: A provincial leader from the party of imprisoned former Prime Minister Imran Khan announced on Thursday that they would be organizing a public rally in the Swabi region of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa on February 8, coinciding with the first anniversary of last year’s contentious general elections.
Junaid Akbar, the chief of PTI’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa unit, stated that the rally was called in accordance with Khan’s instructions.
“A public gathering is scheduled for Swabi on February 8 at the behest of the PTI founder,” said Akbar, who was recently appointed provincial president, succeeding Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur.
The party, currently in power in KP, has also requested authorization from local authorities to hold a public event in Peshawar on the same day.
In another development, PTI leader Aliya Hamza submitted a request to the deputy commissioner’s office in Lahore seeking permission to host a rally at the iconic Minar-e-Pakistan.
Khan’s party has already proclaimed February 8 as a “Black Day” to protest against what they allege was a stolen mandate during the elections.
The decision to organize these rallies follows a breakdown in negotiations with the government, as their demand for establishing judicial commissions to investigate the events of May 9, 2023, and November 26, 2024, went unanswered.
Discussions began on December 23 of the previous year, and PTI presented its demands during the third round on January 17, insisting on the establishment of two judicial commissions within a week and the release of PTI detainees.
The government took time to formulate a response and proposed a meeting on January 28, but the PTI opted out of the discussions after Khan instructed that further negotiations would only proceed if the inquiry commissions were initiated.
Last year, PTI’s attempts to compel the government to accept its demands led to additional legal cases against party leaders, including Khan, whose wife, Bushra Bibi, was arrested this month following a conviction for corruption. Bibi had led the protest on November 26 of last year.
It remains uncertain whether the PTI will secure permission for the Lahore rally on February 8, but events in Swabi and Peshawar in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa will go ahead since the party governs the province. (PTI)
