PTI leaders rallied on the outskirts of Islamabad on Sunday, demanding the “immediate release” of their founder, Imran Khan, while criticising the government for marginalising the party as police fired tear gas to disperse the crowd.

The party was staging the rally today to gain support for Imran’s release, who has been imprisoned since last August. Imran was expected to be released from prison after a district and sessions court accepted appeals against his convicti  on in the Iddat case.

However, the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) arrested him in a new Toshakhana case shortly afterward.

His sentences in the previous two Toshakhana cases were already suspended while he was acquitted by the Islamabad High Court (IHC) in the cipher case.

The rally began with party leader Hammad Azhar addressing the crowd, stating that supporters had gathered today to establish the rule of law and the supremacy of the Constitution in the country.

He added that no obstacle would deter them today.

We will, God willing, secure Imran Khan’s release.

Speaking during the rally, PTI leader Ali Muhammad Khan demanded Imran’s “immediate release” and lamented how the party’s leaders were being “sidelined” by the government.

“I never thought there would be a day that Imran Khan, who formed our party to save Pakistan, would be put in jail,” Ali Muhammad said.
PTI leader Ali Muhammad Khan addresses a party rally on the outskirts of Islamabad on September 8..
He added that today, neither PTI stalwarts Murad Saeed nor Shehryar Khan Afridi were present at the rally, nor was Qasim Khan Suri.

“Why can Murad Saeed not come out of hiding? Is it a crime to love Pakistan, or speak the truth? We will continue speaking the truth, as will our children”, he asserted.

“Today, Pakistan’s biggest party is in Pakistan, but our workers cannot go to parliament. What is their crime?”

PTI maverick Sher Afzal Khan Marwat said: “We have one message for the Pakhtuns, that we will go to Punjab within a week, and Ali Ami Gandapur will tell you the date.

“These people, who erected the containers, whose police charged you with batons, I want them to listen [that] we are coming to Lahore,” Marwat said.

Meanwhile, during her speech, PTI member Aliya Hamza Malik questioned whether Pakistanis wanted true freedom and their rights or wished to continue witnessing enforced disappearances in the country.

“Do you want a Pakistan for future generations, or one where your homes are attacked? Come out and demand Imran Khan’s release, you will all come and support me, as I know you are standing with the leader in Adiala.

“He will see how he’s struck fear into the government. We need to come out for our leader’s release now.

Supporters clash with cops

Towards the end of the rally, PTI supporters clashed with the police as the latter tried to disperse them. Footage emerging on television and social media showed the police firing tear gas shells to disperse the crowd.

According to the police, the local administration had designated a timeframe for the rally, but as it exceeded the hours, the police had to attempt to disperse the supporters, which led to clashes and the ultimate use of tear gas shelling.

Police added that by exceeding the timeframe, the rally organisers had violated the rules and regulations detailed in the no-objection certificate (NOC) issued to the party. Thus, the Islamabad DC ordered police to disperse the attendees, instructing police and the administration to take strict action.

According to a notification dated September 8, a copy of which is available with Dawn.com, the designated meeting time was from 4pm to 7pm. Rally organisers were informed of the timing at 6pm, the notification read.

Police and PTI workers faced off at Chungi No 26, where workers allegedly pelted stones at responding police officers. Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Safe City Shoaib Khan was among the many policemen injured in the clash, per the police.

Meanwhile, the shelling continued by the police to disperse the workers from the area.

Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi took notice of the clashes and sought a report from the inspector general of Islamabad Police. According to a statement from the interior ministry, Naqvi has been in contact with the injured SSP and has ordered the provision of the best medical facilities to the injured policemen