The district administration of Lahore gave on Sunday conditional permission to the PML-N to stage a rally at the Minar-e-Pakistan on October 21—the day when former prime minister Nawaz Sharif is scheduled to return to the country.

The N-league would not be allowed to have speeches against the army, judiciary, and office bearers, according to the NOC.

Earlier there were reports that the party supremo has refused to budge from his narrative of accountability of the former army chief and his spymaster and two former jurists. But according to party leaders Nawaz has changed his opinion and considered economic recovery as a “best revenge”.

Moreover, the party would not be allowed to march on streets and the district administration would be responsible in case of any damage to the park.

Organisers would be responsible for the security of the stage and men and women would be responsible for security of the venue, the district administration said. It also asked the party to appoint a focal person for the security matters.

The PTI called the development shameful and “yet another proof of pre poll rigging being legalised”.

“While PTI is not given permission to have Jalsa, the PMLN is being facilitated by Mohsin Naqvi and whole administration in Punjab,” a post on the party account read.

A convicted criminal is allowed to hold a Jalsa, but Pakistan’s most popular party is being targeted and not allowed to do political activities, another post read.

On his route to Pakistan, Nawaz is scheduled to visit two Gulf countries and China. On October 5, Nawaz left London for Saudi Arabia where he would stay for almost a week, visiting the holiest sites of Islam in Makkah and Medina. He is expected to meet with Saudi officials.

The party has confirmed that Nawaz would return to Pakistan with a narrative of improving the economy first.

The legal team of the party would approach the court for Nawaz’s protective bail two to three days before his arrival, PML-N leader Rana Sanaullah told Dawn News.

“Protective bail to surrender before the court is not any issue on the which court deals with restraint because when a person is saying that he wants to come and appear in front of the court so what object the court can have on it,” he said and claimed that in such situations the court gives two to four days time to appear in court.

He went on to add that there was no reason to have check posts and seal airports if a person wanted to appear in court.

Sanaullah reiterated that the party supremo would return to Pakistan “at all costs”.