PTI announces April 9 Rawalpindi rally amid warning of wider protest plan

ISLAMABAD: Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi said on Thursday that Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf will hold a public meeting in Rawalpindi on April 9 to highlight what he described as the province’s concerns regarding federal policies and budgetary allocations.

Speaking at a press conference at K-P House in Islamabad, Afridi said the provincial government would apply for a no-objection certificate for the gathering. He said, "If the NOC is not granted, each participant will hold the rally at their respective locations."

The party has linked the date to what it calls

a regime operation

in 2022 that, according to PTI, resulted in the removal of former prime minister Imran Khan’s government. Khan is currently incarcerated.

According to PTI sources, the party has, after using what they described as all democratic and legal avenues, taken a principled decision to move away from a passive approach and adopt a firmer line. One source said this would not be the first time PTI had changed its strategy, but added that the stakes were now higher than before.

The same source said the party was fully aware of the

state's repressive means

that, in his view, would be used against its leaders, particularly in Punjab, before the planned rally.

He said the April 9 event would also serve as a test for Afridi’s leadership, saying the chief minister would need to surpass the performance of his predecessor Ali Amin Gandapur, under whose leadership PTI had managed to stage what he described as decent public shows even at short notice.

According to the source, the party has already announced that if it is stopped from holding the gathering at Liaquat Bagh, it will stage rallies wherever it is prevented from assembling. He added that the real challenge for the leadership would be to hold its ground while also ensuring the rally has maximum political impact.

The source further said the effort had been designed to secure PTI a place at the high table. He also said the party had decided to partly broaden its focus to include other issues facing the public after it was felt that PTI’s official narrative appeared to revolve only around Imran Khan.

When asked whether Afridi would be able to match his predecessor’s role, the source said that remained to be seen and added that logistical questions were still being worked out.

However, a PTI leader from Punjab expressed reservations, saying party members there had not been told how this plan would differ from earlier efforts that ended in more FIRs against them. He said the party should avoid pushing its parliamentarians to their absolute limits.

He said party members were prepared to go all the way for Imran Khan without hesitation, but added that the

undue sacrifices sought from them are not benefiting anyone

. He also said that, for obvious reasons, the majority from Punjab would not be able to take part in the rally, leaving the burden primarily on Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa.

Separately, meetings between PTI leaders and the jailed party founder remained suspended on Thursday, as authorities again stopped party leaders outside Adiala jail.