Top JuD leaders said the "Defa-e-Pakistan" gathering would also be attended by Jamaat-e-Islami chief Munawar Hassan and Awami Muslim League chief Sheikh Rashid Ahmed and leaders of other religious and political parties.

The JuD leaders claimed these leaders had confirmed their presence at the rally. The leaders made the claim while addressing a gathering in Multan city of Punjab province yesterday.

JuD chief Hafiz Mohammed Saeed, the founder of the banned Lashkar-e-Taiba, too was present at the gathering.

There was no word from Imran Khan's Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf party on the development.

Khan has not attended other "Defence of Pakistan" meetings organised by the JuD but a message from him was read out at a rally held in Lahore on December 18.

The JuD has played a key role in bringing together several extremist, religious and political groups under the banner of the "Defa-e-Pakistan" movement since November last year.

The movement was launched shortly after a cross-border NATO air strike killed 24 Pakistani soldiers.