What happened?
On 8 September, the PTI was finally able to hold a public rally in Islamabad. The party had been seeking permission to hold a rally in the capital since July and subsequently in August but the relevant authorities had refused to grant a no-objection-certificate (NOC) for the same, citing “security concerns” and possible unrest. Earlier in March, the party had also approached the Islamabad High Court (IHC) for relief due to the district administration’s lack of response on the matter. After several attempts and last minute cancellations, the party was finally granted permission to hold the rally on the “outskirts” of Islamabad. Despite several precautionary measures undertaken by the district administration such as- closure of entry and exit points in the city and heavy police deployment- clashes erupted between the protestors and the police at Chungi No 26 when the police tried to disperse the party supporters after the “designated timeframe” according to the NOC was over. In response, the PTI workers allegedly pelted stones at the police and the latter responded with tear gas shelling. The main contention that led to this clash was the “designated timeframe” that the district administration conveyed to the PTI at 6 pm that the rally should end by 7 pm. Several policemen, including Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Safe City Shoaib Khan were injured in the clashes. 

What was the rally about?
The rally was held by the PTI in order to demand and secure the release of incarcerated PTI founder Imran Khan. Sudden back-to-back favorable judgments in cases against Khan had ballooned PTI’s hope of his release. For instance, Khan was acquitted in the widely discussed cipher case, his sentences in two earlier Toshakhana cases were also suspended and recently a district and sessions court had accepted an appeal against his conviction in the Iddat case. However, after the latest development in the Iddat case which would have ensured Khan’s immediate release, the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) filed a new Toshakhana reference against Khan and arrested him. This development had dashed PTI’s hopes of its founder’s release and angered the party. The party leaders had been calling for a rally ever since. Addressing PTI supporters at the rally, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur warned that if Imran Khan is not released within “one to two weeks,” PTI will take matters into its own hands and forcibly free Khan. Gandapur also warned that if Khan is not freed, he will ensure cases against the opposition in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa as “Now the KP government is completely in our control.” He emphasized that even the military establishment could not stop PTI in this endeavor and warned that Khan’s military trial will not be accepted. Further, the PTI also threatened to expand the rally to Punjab with Sher Afzal Marwat stating that party leaders and workers will enter “Punjab with 50,000 people from the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa within a week.” 
The rally even though primarily geared at securing Khan’s release also witnessed calls for returning the country to “the supremacy of law and the Constitution.” Senior PTI leader and former Speaker of the National Assembly Asad Qaiser criticized the government for its high-handedness and termed the blockades on account of the rally as tactics of a “fascist government… creating a hostile environment.”

How did the government respond?
Speaking to Radio Pakistan as quoted in Dawn, Information Minister Attaullah Tarar alleged that the PTI was misinforming the public by “spreading lies and propaganda” and claimed that the people had “rejected PTI’s rally.” In this regard, he stated that the “PTI has been spreading lies and propaganda on social media by sharing old videos of rallies from Kashmir and even Indian Punjab farmers’ [rallies] footage.” Tarar further argued that “PTI’s leadership of Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has miserably failed in mobilising the masses.” Adviser to Prime Minister Rana Sanaullah also alleged that the numbers in the rally were “extremely low” despite no restrictions on people from attending it. He also warned that a perusal of speeches from the rally reveal PTI’s intentions of carrying out another 9 May. In a provocative statement, Sanaullah called Imran Khan and the PTI “an Israeli political brand.”

What next?
These developments come amidst the hasty passage of the Peaceful Assembly and Public Order Bill 2024 which the PTI has termed a “PTI-specific law.” Given the short window in which the bill was bulldozed amid opposition and the timing of PTI’s rally, PTI’s accusations seem credible. Further, the emphasis on procedural requirements by the district administration for the rally and the ensuing violence creates a perfect context for applying the newly passed legislation to curtail/regulate future rallies and punish the opposition in an already shrinking public space in the country. If the aforementioned bill is used against the PTI, the political divide and polarization within the country will only deepen. Further, the recent calls for dialogue by PML-N Chief Nawaz Sharif among all parties, including the PTI to address national issues appears to be mere lip-service in the light of other developments where the PTI continues to be “marginalized.” Whether PTI’s allegations are true, false or true and bloated, the narrative that the government is targeting the PTI and singularly isolating and punishing its leader has gained ground and will continue to be the dominant opinion unless there is some genuine dialogue between the opposing parties without backtracking of amicable postures and sans mudslinging.

References
Syed Irfan Raza, “Won’t tolerate Imran’s military trial, PTI warns,” Dawn, 9 September 2024
“Islamabad rally: PTI gives two-week deadline for Imran’s release,” The News International, 9 September 2024
“Imran is an Israeli brand: Rana Sana,” The News International, 9 September 2024
“People rejected PTI call: ministers,” The News International, 9 September 2024
Shakeel Qarar, “Supporters clash with cops at PTI rally as leaders demand Imran’s release,” Dawn, 8 September 2024