ISLAMABAD July 5: Pakistan Tehrik Insaf (PTI) will hold a public rally at Liaquat Bagh in Rawalpindi on Saturday to launch its election campaign.

This was stated by PTI secretary-general Mairaj Mohammad Khan, senior vice-president Nawabzada Mohsin Ali Khan, secretary (information) Akbar S. Babar, president (Punjab) Mian Sajid and central executive committee member Hafiz Khan, who held a joint press conference here on Friday.

However, according to the latest reports, the party has been allowed to hold the rally. Earlier, the rally was disallowed by the Punjab government, according to a letter from district Nazim.

Mr Mohsin said: “The rally will be held according to the programme whether they allow it or disallow.”

Mr Mairaj warned against the postponement of elections, saying that such an action could be fatal for the country’s integrity.

With so little time left in the general elections, the government should relax the restrictions on public rallies and display of banners, he said and added, any ban on rallies in major cities would be unjustified and counter-productive.

He said it was not understandable why the administration got panicky about the PTI rally when Sheikh Rashid could make public speeches on alternate days.

Earlier, Mr Babar claimed that the PTI was placed third in a recent Gallop poll with a 10 per cent following. Each of the two main parties, the PPP and PML(N), wielded a 19 percent vote bank, according to the poll. This, he said, showed the fast changing political scenario of the country.

He said Imran Khan would announce special features of the party’s election manifesto at the Liaquat Bagh rally. A number of prominent personalities would be joining the party on the occasion, he said and added, similar scenes would be witnessed in PTI rallies all over the country.