By Mashal Khan

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan's former Prime Minister Imran Khan will address a massive gathering in the country's southeastern city of Lahore after authorities refused to grant permission to hold gathering in Islamabad, sources said.

Khan’s party local president for Islamabad Ali Awan said that Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) has shifted its public gathering to Lahore after authorities told them that a far-right Tehreek-i-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) already applied for a public meeting in Parade Ground Islamabad. 

“We have been told that the Tehreek-i-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) has already applied for its public meeting at Parade Ground on Aug 13. However, we have reached the conclusion that the permission was conditional to the nod of the 111 Brigade that is not willing to allow us. Otherwise, we would have been allowed one of our proposed venues,” Dawn quoted Ali Awan as saying.

He added that authorities were looking not willing to grant permission to PTI.

The Parade ground in Islamabad is under military supervision and authorities advised PTI to seek permission from concerned military officials. 

“Although we have been told that confirmation has not been given to the TLP yet, it is strange that the TLP can hold a public meeting at the Parade Ground, but not the PTI,” he announced.

On Saturday, TLP hold its gathering in Rawalpindi and Khan shifted his venue to Lahore

Analysts believed that TLP was used against Khan to stop him from massive gatherings in the capital of Islamabad as the government was already under pressure from Khan.

On August 6, Imran Khan had  announced that he will unveil his future strategy against the current government in the August 13 gathering, as he is demanding immediate elections in the country. 

“TTP and TLP being encouraged to check PTI. What goes around comes around,” Yousaf Nazar, a political analyst tweeted. 

On July 31, in a letter, shared on social media by some users, TLP said they had canceled their conference scheduled in Parade Ground after authorities refused to grant permission but later when Khan announced his event in the said venue, TLP again made a call to holding the conference on August 13, apparently to counter Khan’s gathering. 

Last year, when Khan was the Prime Minister, the far-right religious group, held a violent protest demanding the expulsion of the French ambassador and killed at least three policemen and over 70 injured in battles between the two sides,” according to former Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry.

The group earlier also held a violent protest against Nawaz Sharif's government.