• Party leaders say holding peaceful gatherings is a constitutional and democratic right
• Accuse govt of suppressing political activity

QUETTA: Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) and Tehreek-i-Tahafuz Ayeen-i-Pakistan (TTAP) have announced a public meeting, under the banner of PTI Balochistan, on Nov 7 at the Quetta’s Hockey Ground.

Speaking at a joint press conference on Monday, party leaders said that holding a peaceful public gathering is a constitutional, legal and democratic right, and they would not allow anyone to obstruct it.

They urged the people of Balochistan to attend the rally and play a leading role in defending the rule of law, restoring economic stability and ending terrorism. They said the aim of TTAP is to restore democracy in the country and end what they described as the “dictatorial, so-called Form-47 government.”

PTI Balochistan President Dawood Shah Kakar, Pashtunkhwa Milli Awami Party (PkMAP) Secretary General Abdul Rahim Zairatwal, Balochistan National Party’s Agha Hassan Baloch, Majlis Wahdatul Muslimeen’s Allama Wilayat Hussain Jafri, PTI provincial general secretary Jahangir Rand, and others spoke at the press conference.

Mr Kakar said PTI Balochistan had announced that the central leaders would attend the Quetta public meeting. He added that an application had been submitted to the district administration seeking permission to hold the peaceful rally, but the administration — acting on instructions from the provincial government, he claimed — refused, citing a law-and-order situation. He warned that the rally would be peaceful, and if the administration deliberately attempted to disrupt it, the responsibility for any resulting situation would rest with the authorities.

He criticised the “Form-47 government,” saying it has failed to protect citizens’ lives and property and that travel on national highways had become increasingly difficult.

Published in Dawn, November 4th, 2025