Report on Lahore rally likely sought as leaders question local chapter’s performance
LAHORE:
PTI modest turnout in Lahore during the party’s August 5 nationwide protest has reignited concerns within the party as several leaders describe the provincial chapter’s repeated failure to mobilise supporters as a serious organisational weakness despite claiming that the party’s support base remains intact.
According to two PTI leaders, Rawalpindi staged the strongest show, with two rallies held – one from Gulberg Greens Interchange to Rawat and another on IGP Road.
Besides Rawalpindi, Sargodha, Khushab and Sahiwal also managed respectable turnouts.
However, police crackdowns prevented PTI workers in Faisalabad from even leaving the bar office, while a similar crackdown in Layyah severely disrupted protest activities.
One leader said that, after Lahore, the largest number of arrests was reported in Rawalpindi.
According to preliminary information gathered by the party, 15 workers were booked in one FIR and two in another.
Those arrested were not only from Rawalpindi but also from Chakwal, Sargodha and Talagang.
He added that around 28 workers were detained under the Maintenance of Public Order (MPO) Ordinance in Khushab, while authorities in Sargodha used a combination of MPO detentions and FIRs. Arrests were also reported from Layyah, Lodhran, Rahim Yar Khan and Mianwali.
The source said the party was still compiling details regarding the total number of FIRs and arrests across Punjab.
Commenting on Lahore’s rally, the leader said the issue should be discussed “forthwith” at the party’s next meeting, arguing that the city’s chapter had consistently failed to produce a respectable turnout.
“The failure is at the party’s end. Our support base is not only intact but has manifolded in the last three years,” he said.
He added that Lahore had previously benefited from the combined mobilisation efforts of surrounding districts, but since the party had recently directed district chapters to organise protests independently, the Lahore organisation’s weaknesses had become more visible.
Another PTI leader acknowledged that Lahore’s rally was “nothing to write home about” but maintained that it was still a decent gathering under the circumstances.
He estimated the turnout at around 1,500 people, saying the number was significant given fears of an extensive police crackdown.
He further said that, to the best of his knowledge, the party’s secretary general had sought a report on the Lahore rally, although he was unsure whether it was specifically due to concerns over the turnout or part of a broader review of the nationwide protests.
It is pertinent to mention that PTI staged protests across the country on August 5 to mark the third anniversary of the incarceration of former prime minister Imran Khan.
