Uncertainty continues over PTI rally tomorrow as permission pending with Punjab administration

ISLAMABAD: Uncertainty continued over whether the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party of jailed former Prime Minister Imran Khan would hold a planned rally in the eastern city of Lahore tomorrow, Saturday, as the district administration had not given permission for the public gathering by Friday afternoon.
The PTI organized a large rally in Islamabad on Sept. 8 to press for the release of Khan, jailed since last August on a number of charges, including corruption and treason. The Islamabad rally was previously planned for July and then August but was postponed both times after permission was revoked over what officials described as security threats and concerns about unrest. 
After the Islamabad gathering, the PTI announced it would hold its next rally in Lahore, the provincial capital of Punjab, and had filed for permission with the district administration. 
“The Lahore High Court has ordered the [district] administration to respond to the permission sought by PTI leadership by 5 p.m. today [Friday],” the PTI said in a statement to the media after the court hearing. 
“PTI is holding a jalsa [rally] tomorrow in Lahore, with public joining from across the country.”
In anticipation of thousands of PTI supporters arriving in Lahore for the rally, the party said a “massive crackdown” was taking place in Punjab and especially in the provincial capital, Lahore. There was no comment from the Punjab government or police. 
Because of roadblocks placed by the administration, PTI supporters and leaders traveling to Islamabad for the last rally had also widely complained they had been unable to reach on time. A policeman was also injured, as police and supporters clashed on the way to the rally venue on the outskirts of the capital. The gathering was otherwise largely peaceful. 
The PTI says it has faced an over year-long crackdown since protesters allegedly linked to the party attacked and damaged government and military installations on May 9, 2023, after Khan’s brief arrest that day in a land graft case. Hundreds of PTI followers and leaders were arrested following the riots and many remain behind bars as they await trial. The military has also initiated army court trials of at least 103 people accused of involvement in the violence.
The party says it was not allowed to campaign freely ahead of Feb. 8 general elections, a vote marred by a mobile Internet shutdown on election day and unusually delayed results, leading to accusations that it was rigged and drawing concern from rights groups and foreign governments. The election commission says polls were free and fair. 
The PTI says it won the most seats in the general election, but its mandate was “stolen” by a coalition led by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, which it accuses of forming the government with the backing of the all-powerful military. Both deny the claim.
The PTI’s main aim in holding rallies is to mobilize supporters for the release of Khan. He was convicted in four cases since he was first taken into custody last August, all of which have either been suspended or overturned by the courts. 
Khan remains in jail, however, on new charges brought by the national accountability watchdog regarding the illegal sale of gifts from a state repository while he was prime minister from 2018-22.