Pak Army says 'no objection' to Imran Khan's helicopter landing at its Parade Ground in Rawalpindi

Islamabad, Nov 24 (PTI) The Pakistan Army has said it has ?no objection? to the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party's request to allow the helicopter of its chairman and the country's ex-prime minister Imran Khan to land at the Parade Ground in the garrison city of Rawalpindi on Saturday.

Khan, who is recovering from bullet wounds suffered during an assassination bid, is set to address his supporters in Rawalpindi on November 26. He has said his party, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf's, protest in Rawalpindi would be ?completely peaceful?.

Earlier this week, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) submitted a petition to the Islamabad High Court (IHC) seeking permission for Khan's helicopter to be allowed to land and take off from Parade Ground till the "conclusion of the gathering".

"General Headquarters has no objection to the request for placement of helicopter subject to clearance by the authorities,? the Dawn newspaper quoted a statement from the headquarters of the Pakistan Army as saying.

A GHQ document circulating on social media stated that the party should reach out to the Capital Development Authority or the federal government as the matter fell under their jurisdiction, it said.

PTI leader and Senator Faisal Javed has appealed to the masses to reach Rawalpindi by noon on November 26, saying Khan will address the rally at around 1 pm local time.

"Imran will address the rally at 1 pm. We invite families to the public meeting and we laud their massive support for the PTI," he said in an interaction with journalists.

He expressed hope that the party's "Haqeeqi Azadi March" (real freedom) will succeed with the support of the nation.

Khan has urged his supporters to reach Rawalpindi on November 26 where the ousted Pakistan prime minister said he said he will announce his ?next plan of action? for the protest march against the government led by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.

Addressing his party members via a video link from his Zaman Park residence in Lahore, Khan said the nation cannot remain ?neutral? at this critical juncture.

Khan, 70, survived a gun attack on his convoy while holding a protest march in the eastern city of Wazirabad on November 3. The attack took place as Khan was leading the march, which was meant to end in the capital Islamabad.

Khan was ousted from power in April after losing a no-confidence vote in his leadership, which he alleged was part of a US-led conspiracy targeting him because of his independent foreign policy decisions on Russia, China, and Afghanistan. The US has denied the allegations.

The cricketer-turned-politician, the only Pakistani Prime Minister to be ousted in a no-confidence vote in Parliament, is seeking fresh general elections. The term of the current National Assembly will end in August, 2023.

(The above article is sourced from news agency PTI. Zeenews.com has made no editorial changes to the article. News agency PTI is solely responsible for the contents of the article)