KP Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur condemned the police’s use of force against PTI members in Rawalpindi and vowed to retaliate against any violence towards its supporters. The protest in Rawalpindi was called off amid clashes between protesters and riot police, and the KP chief minister directed the participants to return to Peshawar.
The protest was initially planned as a public rally but was converted into a demonstration. PTI workers demanded Gandapur’s resignation and the Punjab government-imposed Section 144 in Rawalpindi Division, banning political gatherings and similar activities. PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan and Salman Akram Raja were detained but later released. The PTI has been making efforts to secure permission for public gatherings and has managed to hold two rallies in Islamabad and Lahore under strict conditions.