LAHORE (MNN); A delegation of the Tehreek-i-Tahafuz Ayeen-i-Pakistan (TTAP), led by Allama Raja Nasir Abbas and Mahmood Khan Achakzai, reached Minar-i-Pakistan on Saturday evening, where the alliance was expected to pass a formal resolution. However, local authorities sealed all entrances to the historic site and prevented public entry.
The TTAP leadership is currently in Lahore to mobilise support for the opposition’s planned street movement. PTI Punjab Chief Organiser Aliya Hamza Malik criticised the Punjab government for denying the delegation the opportunity to even present a resolution at Minar-i-Pakistan.
Speaking to the media, Malik said PTI workers had been asked to accompany the TTAP delegation, but the “fearful Punjab government” shut the gates of the Minar-i-Pakistan ground. She alleged that delegation members’ vehicles were damaged in Punjab, while a warm reception was allowed in Sindh for a PTI delegation led by KP Chief Minister Sohail Afridi.
Later, the TTAP leaders visited Mazar-i-Iqbal and the shrine of Bibi Pak Daman to pay homage.
Earlier in the day, Allama Raja Nasir Abbas and Mahmood Khan Achakzai addressed a press conference at the Lahore Press Club alongside Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar and Haqooq-i-Khalq Party General Secretary Ammar Ali Jan.
Abbas said the opposition movement aimed at constitutional protection, reforms, safeguarding public rights and uplifting marginalised sections of society. He said those in power were blocking all avenues for reform, warning that such suppression could force people to rise against the system.
Achakzai reiterated that the Constitution was under threat and the country was facing a deep crisis. He urged citizens, regardless of political affiliation or sect, to join the movement, saying it was a moral duty to take to the streets in such circumstances.
Responding to questions about dialogue, Achakzai said no agreement would be made at the cost of Pakistan. He stressed that the armed forces must operate within constitutional limits and said those undermining the Constitution posed a security risk.
Achakzai also criticised powerful quarters for disrupting the natural political process through repression, leading to internal instability. He recalled that former prime minister Nawaz Sharif was sidelined and exiled for attempting to follow the constitutional path.
He further proposed that a future democratic government should honour judges who resigned rather than submit to pressure, calling them “heroes of democracy”. He also suggested Pakistan seek a United Nations-facilitated regional dialogue involving Iran, Afghanistan and China to resolve shared challenges.
Ammar Ali Jan announced that his party, along with labour unions and student groups, had joined the TTAP to work for democratic restoration, constitutional supremacy and national security. He said parliament had been rendered ineffective, the judiciary weakened and the media restrained.
Meanwhile, PTI called on the public to gather at Minar-i-Pakistan, where the TTAP leadership is expected to announce its resolution. PTI Punjab also distributed pamphlets to mobilise support for the upcoming street movement.
The TTAP delegation had earlier planned to visit Data Darbar upon entering Lahore, but road blockades by the Punjab government forced the alliance to keep its movements undisclosed. On Thursday, Achakzai had urged political parties and the public to support a wheel-jam and shutter-down strike to mark the second anniversary of the February 8 elections.
