Islamabad (TDI): Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan has informed Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi that the party will communicate its final decision on Sunday’s planned protest by 6pm today.
The development marks the second round of contact between the two sides, as the federal government intensifies measures to prevent the November 24 demonstration.
Security has been heightened in Islamabad, with major routes in Punjab and entry points to the capital partially sealed off.
Interior Minister Naqvi engaged in detailed discussions with Barrister Gohar, urging the PTI leader to reconsider the protest, according to a local news channel.
He pointed out that an 80-member delegation of foreign dignitaries is visiting Pakistan, adding that holding a political protest amidst such circumstances is “inappropriate.”
Barrister Gohar, while assuring Naqvi of a response by the evening, shared that consultations with PTI leadership were ongoing.
He has reportedly briefed Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur on the interior minister’s concerns.
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In an earlier conversation, Naqvi informed the PTI chief that the Islamabad High Court (IHC) has prohibited any public gatherings in the federal capital under the newly enacted “Peaceful Assembly and Public Order Act, 2024”.
The law empowers district magistrates to regulate or ban public assemblies and prescribes punishments of up to three years’ imprisonment or fines for those participating in unlawful gatherings.
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“We are obligated to adhere to the IHC orders and cannot permit any rally, sit-in, or protest in Islamabad,” Naqvi reportedly told Gohar.
Adding to the government’s concerns, the Belarusian president and a high-level delegation are expected to arrive in Islamabad for an official visit from November 24 to 27.
