LAHORE - Pakistan Democratic Movement has announced holding public meeting at Minar-e-Pakistan ground on December 13 at all cost. 

Briefing the media after a meeting of provincial leadership of PDM constituent parties at PPP Secretariat on Monday, PML-N Punjab President Rana Sanaullah said that heads of the PDM will be meeting on Tuesday (today) to finalise future strategy that will be unveiled in the upcoming Lahore rally.

“Lahore Jalsa (gathering) will be held at all cost. Hundreds of thousands of people from across the country will gather to put to an end the game that has been played for the last 70 years. Mian Nawaz Sharif will deliver decisive speech at the Lahore rally,” he said. 

Flanked by PPP Punjab President Qamar Zaman Kaira, JUI-F’s Safiullah and others, Rana Sana said the situation would worsen only if the government tried to create hurdles and the prime minister would be responsible for the consequences. “Hundreds of thousands of people will show their no-trust in the ‘incompetent’ government and seek respect for their vote,” he said.

To a question, he said that at least 500 workers would be maintaining security and overseeing other arrangements at the venue of rally. These workers, he said, might be given some identity like a specific cap, uniform, badge, etc. and that the measure could not be taken as raising a uniformed force.

Says Democratic Movement heads will finalise future strategy today which will be unveiled on Dec 13

Referring to Imran Khan’s statement of lodging FIRs against contractors renting out chairs, sound and lighting systems for the rally, Qamar Zaman Kaira lamented that the prime minister had come down to the level of a deputy commissioner. 

“After failing to stop Multan rally through use of force, the government is relying on administrative tactics. But, martial law regimes have been taking more coercive measures only to fail in barring the opposition from holding public meetings,” he said. Kaira said the present regime was using tactics of fascism – declaring political rivals as anti-state, using state powers against them and spoiling nation’s values through extremist behaviours.

He regretted that Buzdar government registered a case even against women participants of the PPP’s torch-bearer rally organised on The Mall, Lahore, a day ago to mobilise the people for the Dec 13 event.

Safiullah said that JUI-F’s Ansar-ul-Islam was not a militant wing. He said that its main task was maintaining discipline during party events.

He recalled that Quaid-e-Azam too had formed a uniformed force named National Guards during the Pakistan Movement and asked what the critics would say about this act of the Father of the Nation.