During Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) accountability rally in Rawalpindi, a truck carrying sound system caught fire apparently due to short circuit.
According to initial reports, the fire was extinguished by workers; however, the sound system was completely burnt.
A private TV channel’s footage shows flames engulfing the vehicle that carried more than 20 speakers. The incident took place as the caravan entered Rawalpindi.
PTI local leader Faisal Javed said the party smells conspiracy behind the incident, claiming that elements from rival Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) might have been involved in the truck fire.
On the occasion of Independence Day, the ruling PML-N as well as the PTI and its ally Awami Muslim League (AML) are holding public rallies in the garrison city of Rawalpindi and federal capital Islamabad.
The PTI and Sheikh Rashid’s AML are holding a rally and a public meeting at Liaquat Bagh and Lal Haveli respectively, while the PML-N is preparing for a public meeting on Iqbal Road the same day.
The PTI took out its rally from Murree Road (Rawalpindi) and is on way to Liaqat Bagh. After a brief stopover, the rally will head to Faisal Chowk of Islamabad where a large public gathering will be held.
PTI Chairman Imran Khan will lead the rally accompanied by party leaders Shah Mehmood Qureshi, Jehangir Tareen and others.
Tight security arrangements have been made in the city amid political tension between rival parties.
The PTI’s rally is a part of the opposition’s efforts to press the government to launch a probe into Panama Leaks, which involved offshore holdings of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s family.
The anti-government and anti-corruption rally is part of PTI’s Tehreek-e-Ehtesab (Accountability Movement) which the party kicked off last week holding a rally from Peshawar to Attock.