ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad district administration has decided not to allow the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) to hold a rally in the capital on August 22 on the recommendations of the District Intelligence Committee (DIC).
The decision was made during a meeting chaired by the Islamabad chief commissioner, said a notification issued on Wednesday.
The meeting reviewed the no-objection certificate (NOC) previously issued by the Islamabad deputy commissioner of. During the meeting, the Islamabad Police Inspector General raised security concerns due to various ongoing events in the city.
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Based on these assessments, it was determined that allowing the rally could pose potential risks, leading to the decision to deny permission for the PTI to hold the rally.
On July 5, the Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) administration had revoked the no-objection certificate (NOC) issued to the PTI for the Islamabad rally due to “serious security concerns”.
On July 6, the PTId leadership had challenged the Islamabad district administration’s earlier decision to suspend permission of the party to hold a power show at Tarnol Chowk in Islamabad.
The petition was submitted by opposition leader Omar Ayub, along with Barrister Gohar, Umair Niazi, Shehryar Afridi, Sanaullah Masti Khel, and Shahid Khattak.
On August 1, the Islamabad district administration granted PTI permission to hold a rally in the capital on August 22, and this decision was communicated to the Islamabad High Court (IHC).
The ICT administration informed Justice Miangul Hassan Aurangzeb, who was hearing the contempt of court petition filed by PTI for not being granted permission for the rally. PTI’s lawyer argued that they had submitted a request on July 22 to hold a rally on July 26. The court inquired about the circumstances that led to the contempt of court claim, to which the state counsel responded that two orders had been issued. The court noted that it had been documented that protests or rallies could take place after August 20.
The state counsel reiterated that the district administration had indeed granted PTI permission to hold the rally on August 22.