PTI to stage major rally in Mardan as party seeks to show Imran Khan’s continued support
By Sardar Burhan :
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has announced plans to hold a large public rally in Mardan this weekend, saying the event will demonstrate that its jailed founder Imran Khan continues to command widespread public backing.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi said the gathering would take place at Mardan Railway Ground on Sunday, calling on supporters from across the country to attend in large numbers.
Speaking to reporters in Islamabad, Mr Afridi said the rally aimed to send a clear message that PTI remained a major political force despite what he described as sustained pressure on the party leadership.
“We will prove through this rally that despite all oppression, PTI remains Pakistan’s largest political party,” he said.
He also reiterated the party’s position that Mr Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi had been unfairly detained, alleging that PTI leaders had faced continuous political victimisation.
The announcement comes days after the party postponed a planned public gathering in Rawalpindi’s Liaquat Bagh. The decision followed instructions from Mr Khan, who asked party leaders to avoid protests in Islamabad due to the sensitive diplomatic environment surrounding ongoing US-Iran talks in the capital.
According to party officials, the directive was conveyed during a meeting between Mr Khan and his legal counsel Barrister Salman Safdar at Adiala Jail earlier this month. Mr Afridi later described the postponement as a decision taken in the national interest.
He said future political activities would continue to be guided by Mr Khan’s instructions, adding that the former prime minister had also called for a major public mobilisation in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa within days.
However, the announcement of the Mardan rally has exposed coordination challenges within the broader opposition alliance, Tehreek Tahafuz Ayeen-e-Pakistan (TTAP). Leaders within the alliance said they had not been formally consulted about the event.
TTAP spokesperson Akhunzada Hussain Ahmed Yousafzai said the alliance had learned of the rally through media reports, warning that a lack of communication could lead to confusion. He added that there had been speculation about tensions within opposition ranks, though PTI leadership later reassured allies of continued trust.
PTI Secretary General Salman Akram Raja subsequently issued a statement outlining the party’s strategy and reaffirming that decisions regarding protests and political mobilisation would remain aligned with Mr Khan’s guidance.
The planned rally is expected to be closely watched as a test of PTI’s ability to mobilise public support at a time when its leadership remains under legal and political pressure.
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