Pakistan: Tehreek-e-Insaf postpones rally in Lahore

Islamabad [Pakistan], August 26 : Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, founded by Imran Khan has postponed its rally, which was scheduled for August 27 due to administrative challenges, ARY News reported on Sunday.
The local administration is not granting permission for the rally, which has led to its postponement, the report said.
The development comes despite a ruling from the Lahore High Court (LHC).
According to PTI Information Secretary Shaukat Mahmood Basra, the party decided to postpone the rallies after local authorities refused permission.
According to ARY News, Basra said that PTI had opted to reschedule the rally since they had not received permission from the relevant authorities.
In addition, he declared that he would sue the administration for contempt for failing to follow the court's order.
PTI intends to reschedule the rally and will request permission to hold it after September 8 now, as per the ARY News report.
It is pertinent to note that the Lahore rally is not the only one that got postponed as PTI on August 22 put off a public meeting in Tarnol at the last minute due to controversy within the party, with some leaders alleging that party founder Imran Khan, currently imprisoned in Adiala jail, was not consulted before the postponement.
Speaking with journalists on Sunday, Pakistan Defence Minister, Khawaja Asif asserted that Imran Khan would not have cancelled the rally if he believed it would be successful.
He also dismissed any claims of the establishment's involvement in the PTI's decision of cancelling the rally. He further said that the PTI wants to build another "false narrative" to desperately save its diminishing popularity, according to Geo News.
Notably, while PTI leaders Gohar Ali Khan and Azam Swati stated on August 22 that the postponement decision was made by Khan in consideration of demonstrations to ensure the sanctity of Khatm-i-Nabuwwat (PBUH) scheduled for the same day, many, including Khan's sister, questioned this explanation.