Lahore:
A high-profile convoy led by Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur and Pakistan Tehreek-E-Insaf (PTI) Presidency Gohar Ali Khan arrived in Lahore on Saturday and signaled what party officers described as the beginning of a renewed political movement.
The visit came in the midst of increased police presence, arrests of party workers and escalating tension with the Punjab government.
The convoy, which passed from Islamabad earlier in the day, arrived at Raiwind Road Farmhouse of the former Deputy Senate Chairman Mirza Muhammad Afridi, located near Sharif Family Estate in Lahore. A dinner and strategic meetings of PTI’s parliamentary committee were planned on the room.
According to party insiders, discussions were expected to center on protest planning and regulatory reactions to the recent suspension of PTI legislators from the Punjab assembly. Given the ruling political climate of both Punjab and KP, the meeting is considered politically significant. Negotiations are also expected to tackle the future political strategy and the potential for alliances between regional power blocks.
The convoy’s arrival at Shahdara Morr was met with a heavy deployment of the Punjab police. According to PTI sources, officers arrested four party workers, including Lahore-based ticket holder Yasir Gilani. Although Gilani was later released, the arrests caused fresh accusations of political harassment by the PTI management. Media access to the site was limited and a scheduled press interaction was allegedly canceled due to security concerns.
By tackling supporters before departure, Gandapur said the convoy symbolized peaceful solidarity with the 26 suspended PTI legislators. “This is not a protest in the conventional sense, but a democratic show of unity,” he said. “We have a message of peace, fraternity and constitutional respect.”
He added that his government had formally notified the Punjab administration of their plans and itinerary. “Our elected representatives are silenced through constitutional and undemocratic tactics,” Gandapur said. “Political arrests will not derail our decision to maintain democratic values and the public’s right to representation.”
Earlier in Jhelum, Gandapur declared that the management formulated a roadmap to maintain the movement through at least 5 August. “We want agreement through consultation. Our management and workers are in prison, but our commitment is still unwavering,” he said.
Meanwhile, the PTI chairman’s barmist Gohar Ali Khan confirmed that any announcement of the protest campaign would come directly from party -founder Imran Khan. He said the Lahore visit was intended to meet party laws and complete the movement’s future direction within the law.
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Punjab Assembly opposition leader Malik Ahmad Khan Bhachar welcomed the convoy in a video message and called it a “symbolic awakening” of Punjab. “The people of Lahore are on the streets to welcome their leaders,” he said. “The government’s use of force to suppress this peaceful demonstration is unacceptable – even under authoritarian regimes.”
Bhachar warned that PTI is prepared to launch sit-ins if hindered, and condemned what he described as growing political oppression under chief minister Maryam Nawaz’s administration.
The reason for this political mobilization is the 27th of June -Sus pension of 26 PTI legislators following their protest under Maryam Nawaz ‘address to the Punjab assembly. Since then, thousands of PTI workers have reportedly been arrested or charged when the party rams its opposition to the provincial government’s policies and what it denotes “Form 47 mandate.”
“PTI has now formally launched his protest movement,” Bhachar declared. “Raids are underway across Punjab and we are not afraid of these arrests. Our central leadership and parliamentary parties from KP and Punjab meet in Lahore to end our course of action.”
