The Punjab government has announced its intention to arrest suspects from the May 9 incidents at the rally site, assigning Lahore Police the task of apprehending PTI leader Hamad Azhar.
At a press conference, Punjab Information Minister Azma Bukhari stated that if any suspect from the May 9 incidents was spotted at the rally, action would be taken. Azhar was at the Kahna rally site and police were “active in pursuing his arrest.”
May 9 cases pertains to the events when violent protesters attacked military installations and sensitive buildings following former prime minister Imran Khan’s arrest in a graft case.
Azhar has previously participated in multiple rallies and is wanted in connection with the May 9 cases. Earlier, Bukhari had announced the intention to arrest PTI leaders and workers wanted in those cases.
She emphasized that no one would be allowed to take the law into their own hands.
“A chief minister is bringing armed groups to Lahore, and activists of the movement attempted to create unrest last night,” the provincial minister said and claimed that no roads would be blocked and arrangements would be made to accommodate rally attendants.
The provincial government’s spokesperson stated that the court had dismissed PTI’s request the previous day and the standard operating procedures (SOPs) for the rally had been issued. She accused PTI of “solely engaging in negative propaganda.”
He warned that participants would need to bring their supporters, mentioning that weapons were present in the vehicles of the “movement of chaos.”
Bukhari stated that developmental work in Punjab was ongoing and assured that the provincial government would take “full care of health concerns” for those attending the rally. She reiterated that only workers from KP should be brought along, not government employees.
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She urged attendants to inform people about the developmental projects initiated in KP, stating that the chief minister should apologise in person during the rally rather than in writing. Bukhari emphasized that taking the law into one’s hands would not be tolerated and that the “rally must conclude within the scheduled time.”
She added that SOPs had been issued for the PTI rally and that arrests would be made for suspects from the May 9 incidents, urging “PTI to prove itself as a political party rather than a source of chaos.”
