PTI, Sindh govt face off over Karachi rally venue

KARACHI: A new controversy has erupted between the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and the Sindh government over the location of a scheduled PTI rally in Karachi, despite the provincial government granting official permission for the event.

After the Sindh government allowed the PTI to hold the rally at Bagh-e-Jinnah, PTI leader Haleem Adil Sheikh announced a dramatic shift, saying the party would no longer hold its public meeting at Bagh-e-Jinnah.

Instead, he said, the rally would take place in front of the gate of Mazar-e-Quaid.

Sheikh said that the PTI waited until 5pm for the permit, but the delay forced the party to relocate.

“We don’t have Aladdin’s lamp that we can make arrangements for a night-time rally,” he said, arguing that preparations at the original venue could not be completed without timely clearance.

On the other hand, Sindh Minister for Local Government Nasser Hussain Shah responded strongly to PTI leader’s comments, insisting that PTI leadership was fully briefed that permission had been granted for Bagh-e-Jinnah.

“The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa chief minister was personally present at the ground and was informed about the approval,” Shah said, rejecting the claim of confusion.

Shah called PTI’s idea of holding a rally on the street inappropriate, saying the government would nonetheless support PTI “to the extent possible” for their event.

He pointed out that PTI itself had requested Bagh-e-Jinnah as the venue, and clarified that the ground falls under federal jurisdiction, which led to a formal delay in issuing the permit.

Shah warned that a rally on a public road would cause hardship to the public, and reiterated that PTI must hold its meeting at the approved site — Bagh-e-Jinnah.

The PTI has accused provincial authorities of deliberate obstacles, while the Sindh government maintained it has acted within law and order considerations and public safety guidelines.

The disagreement highlights ongoing friction between PTI’s calls for mass mobilisations and the provincial government efforts to regulate public gatherings in major urban areas like Karachi.