By Staff Reporter
KARACHI: After a weekend marked by last-minute permissions, venue switches and mutual accusations, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party has decided to proceed with its public rally at Bagh-e-Jinnah on Sunday, reversing an earlier announcement to hold the event outside the adjacent Mazar-e-Quaid.
The gathering, to be addressed by Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi and other party leaders, is now scheduled to begin at 4 pm local time, PTI Karachi President Raja Azhar confirmed. He said arrangements were underway at the ground following consultations with the party’s central leadership.
The twists began when the PTI, initially planning the event at Bagh-e-Jinnah — also known as Jinnah Ground — submitted formal applications to the deputy commissioner East and deposited security fees of Rs2.5 million with the Mazar-e-Quaid committee. Permission was not forthcoming by Saturday afternoon, prompting the party to announce a shift to the public gate of the mausoleum at 2 pm.
PTI Sindh President Haleem Adil Sheikh, addressing a press conference at the site on Saturday, accused the provincial authorities of obstructing political activities. He said the gate to Bagh-e-Jinnah was suddenly closed at 5:15 pm, with police blocking entry of equipment despite the party’s compliance with requirements.
The Sindh government, led by the Pakistan Peoples Party, issued a no-objection certificate late Saturday evening, allowing the rally at Bagh-e-Jinnah with strict conditions: organisers must maintain law and order, avoid provocative or sectarian speeches, refrain from content against the state or institutions, ensure smooth traffic flow and conclude on time. The district administration reserved the right to cancel on security grounds.
Senior Provincial Minister for Information Sharjeel Inam Memon announced the approval, saying that the event would take place Sunday under those terms. Despite the NOC, PTI spokesperson Fouzia Siddiqui initially told media that the party would stick with the mausoleum gate, citing insufficient time to re-prepare at the original venue after the delays. The decision flipped again, however. Sheikh later posted that, following the late approval, the rally would proceed inside Bagh-e-Jinnah.
Sindh Home Minister Zia-ul-Hassan Lanjar reiterated warnings against any spillover onto roads. “Permission has been granted strictly for Bagh-e-Jinnah,” he said. “No protest will be allowed on the streets. The government will not allow anyone to challenge the writ of the state.”
Sindh Local Government Minister Syed Nasir Hussain Shah defended the process, describing the delay as minor — two to three hours — and offering further assistance with chairs, containers or manpower if needed. He urged the PTI to keep the event peaceful and confined to the approved site, while noting the province’s hospitality toward political visitors despite differences.
Afridi’s three-day visit to Sindh, the political stronghold of the ruling Pakistan Peoples Party, part of the PTI’s street mobilisation to highlight what it calls the fraudulent February 2024 elections, has been eventful.
He arrived in Karachi on Friday afternoon. The trip began with a warm but traffic-snarling reception at the airport, followed by a motorcade through the city and a daylong journey to Hyderabad on Saturday, where he addressed supporters.
Afridi recounted a difficult return journey from Hyderabad. In a post on X, he said that upon leaving the city, all routes for him and his team had been blocked, forcing them to switch paths repeatedly over several hours. By 4:23 am, he wrote, they were traveling on a deserted road toward Karachi.
In a subsequent video message shared on the PTI’s official account, he said the trip from Hyderabad had taken seven and a half hours because of the obstructions. “They had blocked the route at different places, and we were compelled to travel on a deserted route,” he said. “This was tantamount to putting my and my team’s lives at risk, as anything could have happened there.”
He described the Sindh government’s actions as not only endangering his safety but also setting a dangerous precedent for interprovincial relations. “Pakistan belongs to all of us,” he added. “Do not spread so much hatred here to such an extent that it becomes impossible to return from that point.”
Despite the overnight drama, the PTI pressed ahead with plans for the gathering, urging Karachi residents to turn out in force. Afridi, in his video, said the authorities were afraid of the rally’s potential turnout but insisted it would take place.
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