On the instructions of party founder Imran Khan, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) is gearing up for a “power show” on Feb. 8, with multiple rallies planned to commemorate the ‘black day’ marking the first anniversary of the 2024 general elections.
In Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, newly appointed president of the party’s provincial chapter, Junaid Akbar, will lead a public rally in Swabi. The event aims to attract supporters from across the province as well as northern Punjab. It will observe the ‘black day’ when the general elections were allegedly rigged against the former ruling party.
Additionally, the party has sought permission from the local administration to hold a public gathering in Peshawar, while PTI leader Aliya Hamza has submitted a similar application to the Lahore administration for a rally at Minar-e-Pakistan.
This would mark the PTI’s first public gatherings since Nov. 26, when the party alleges “dozens” of its supporters were killed during an attempt to stage a sit-in at D-Chowk in Islamabad. It follows the collapse of talks between the government and the PTI aimed at achieving political stability, as well as the convictions of Khan and his wife Bushra in the 190 million Al-Qadir Trust corruption case.
Earlier this week, Akbar said the party had decided to return to agitation politics. He claimed this would see a reshuffle of the party’s hierarchy, with hardline leaders elevated over those who prefer appeasement and dialogue.
Referring to the Swabi rally, he has said that the party would fund it independent of the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa government.
In Lahore, Leader of the Opposition in the Punjab Assembly Malik Ahmad Khan Bachar and Ali Ijaz Buttar would lead the party’s planned rally.
Speaking to media, Hamza said it was the PTI’s right to observe a “black day” against what it describes as the theft of its mandate. “Every other party is allowed to hold rallies at Minar-e-Pakistan, so why not us?” she questioned, warning that if permission were denied, the party would use all available legal options to exercise its right to protest.