ISLAMABAD, May 6: Pakistan Tehrik-i-Insaf (PTI) on Sunday flouted a ban imposed on holding rallies and public meetings on Jinnah Avenue by staging a rally to ‘express solidarity with the judiciary’ while the local administration acted like a silent spectator.

The party launched its rally from China Chowk which turned into a decent public gathering as it approached D-Chowk in front of the Parliament House. The local administration had imposed a ban under Section 144 of Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC) on April 29 to ensure smooth flow of traffic on the avenue and for security reasons.

“We asked the organisers of the rally to stage it in F-9 Park where a public corner had been established for such activities but they did not obey the instructions,” said Additional Deputy Commissioner Islamabad Farasat Ali Khan.

He said an approval for the rally was neither sought nor given by the administration.

When contacted, a local leader of the PTI, Ali Nawaz Awan, who was also incharge of the arrangements for the rally, told Dawn that earlier the local administration had not given approval for holding the programme at Jinnah Avenue but later they allowed it.

“The local administration allowed us to hold the rally but had barred us from entering D-Chowk area,” Mr Awan confirmed.

However, he said a PTI team also held separate meeting with the top officials of capital police and obtained approval for the entry of trawlers and musical instruments into the Red Zone.

Apart from the debate of ‘violation or no violation’, the rally seemed to bring to life the federal capital. The city that normally stays calm and at times even becomes boring witnessed the same festive environment that was a routine during the campaign for restoration of judges who were reinstated in March 2009.

Motorbike and car rallies of PTI workers passed from most of the main roads of the city including Khayaban-i-Suharwardy, Seventh Avenue, and Jinnah Avenue to finally reach Parade Avenue where a stage had already been set.

Anwar Khan who had come from Nowshera along with a group of students said: “We have come to assure Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) that we are with him and he should carry on with the impartial decisions to ensure that every person gets justice and influential persons are not spared.”

Shakeel Ahmed, a government servant, who had come along with his wife and children, said the songs and speeches had made him recall all what happened in the city during the campaign for restoration of judges. “Today I have a gut feeling that in near future things will change again,” he remarked.

A trader, Mohammad Azfar, said: “On May 12, 2007 when President Gen (retired) Pervez Musharraf was to deliver a public speech to a gathering at Parade Avenue, Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) administration instructed traders to attend the gathering and bring people along.

“But today it seems that people have come out of their own free will. They are so happy and are climbing on tree tops to see their favourite leader, Imran Khan,” he said.

He said people had seen that leaders of both PPP and PML-N were raising fingers at each other over corruption charges. They are not in a position to take action against each other so the masses would naturally prefer to go for the change and bring those in power who really believe in justice and were not corrupt.

Advocate Zubair Khan, who had come from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, said lawyers had saved the judiciary in the past and would save it in future too.