LAHORE: The Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) has declared that it will go ahead with its workers’ convention at Minar-i-Pakistan regardless of whether the Punjab government grants permission, escalating tensions with the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) ahead of the event.

PPP Lahore President Faisal Mir made the announcement at a press conference called to protest the provincial government’s continued refusal to authorise the gathering, five weeks after the request was first made. He was joined by senior party leaders, including Majid Ghouri, Khurram Farooq, Ahmad Ghuman, Azeen Gulzar, Tahira Jalib and Amir Nasir Butt.

Mir said the party’s executive committee had initially planned a peaceful protest over the denial but called it off in light of the broader national situation. He accused the PML-N government of being uneasy with the PPP’s activities and of denying the party political space in Lahore, questioning why other parties, including Jamaat-i-Islami, had been permitted to hold public gatherings while the PPP was not.

In an appeal to Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz, Mir urged her to honour democratic norms and allow the PPP to operate under the Charter of Democracy, warning that failure to do so would place her among those working against democracy.

He announced that the party would launch torch-lit rallies outside Minar-i-Pakistan starting July 17, continuing until the government grants approval for the convention. He reaffirmed that the event would take place with or without official sanction.

Published in Dawn, July 16th, 2026