PTI goes ahead with protest plan in twin cities amid ban
• Opposition lawmakers to protest outside IHC, Adiala jail today; KP chapter to stage rally on motorway
• Parliamentary meeting warns against governor’s rule in province, urges dialogue with Kabul
ISLAMABAD: As its incarcerated founding chairman Imran Khan remains inaccessible to party leaders and his family members, the PTI has decided to stage protests outside the Islamabad High Court and Rawalpindi’s Adiala jail on Tuesday (today) against the restrictions on visitation rights.
The decision to assemble outside the high court and the prison came amid a ban on public gatherings in the twin cities. The federal capital administration had imposed the ban on Nov 18 for two months, whereas the Rawalpindi district administration issued a notification on Monday for a three-day ban on gatherings. It may be noted that the Peaceful Assembly and Public Order Act 2024 also allows the district magistrate to regulate public gatherings in the capital.
PTI leader Asad Qaiser said the opposition lawmakers from both houses of parliament will protest outside the IHC before taking their demonstration to Adiala jail in Rawalpindi. “It has been decided to hold protests because IHC has failed to implement its order and the Adiala jail administration is not willing to implement the court orders,” he said.
Last week, the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa chief minister staged a sit-in outside the prison after he was barred from meeting Mr Khan for the eighth time. Similarly, Mr Khan’s family members have not been allowed to meet him for several weeks. There were speculations about his health, but the government and the PTI leaders had said that the opposition leader was in good health.
Replying to a question, Mr Qaiser said he would attend a public gathering in Quetta on Tuesday, being the office-bearer of the PTI-led opposition alliance, but other party leaders would also be present at the protest.
Barrister Gohar Ali Khan and other leaders will stage protests in the twin cities, Mr Qaiser added. He said the parliamentary committee also demanded the release of Imran Khan, saying it was a violation of human rights to stop him from meeting his family members.
Governor’s rule
The PTI parliamentary committee, after a meeting on Monday, also warned against any attempt to impose the governor’s rule in KP amid rumours about such plans. It said the decision would create further instability, spread discord, and worsen law and order in the province.
It said that such actions were not in the interest of the country or KP, adding that such a move would carry serious political repercussions.
PTI’s Asad Qaiser said the parliamentary committee was of the view that the KP government was elected by the people and any attempt to destabilise it would be an insult to the public mandate. He said that due to the policies of the federal government, KP was suffering economically and politically amid a worsening law and order situation.
“The parliamentary committee was of the view that the federal government failed to honour the rights of KP as per the promises under the NFC and other announcements made at the time of the merger of the tribal districts,” he said.
Mr Qaiser said that a peace jirga was held in KP in which all the political parties agreed to address the issues of the province.
However, the federal government did not give any positive response, he said, adding that it was impossible to build good relations with the Centre due to its ‘harsh’ attitude.
He said that Pakistan, especially KP, could not afford another conflict, adding that the Centre should resolve tensions with Afghanistan through talks.
Protest in KP
Meanwhile, the PTI’s KP chapter has announced it will assemble at the Peshawar-Islamabad Motorway Interchange for a rally that will culminate at the Swabi interchange. Peshawar PTI President Irfan Saleem told Dawn that their procession will be joined by the protestors from Nowshera, Charsadda, Mardan, and Swabi.
Another PTI leader told Dawn that they might suspend the traffic between Islamabad and Peshawar by blocking the motorway. He added that the lawmakers would attend the demonstrations in Islamabad and Rawalpindi, while the rest of the office-bearers would participate in the KP protest.
Mohammad Ashfaq in Peshawar and Aamir Yasin in Rawalpindi also contributed to this report
Published in Dawn, December 2nd, 2025
