LAHORE - The PPP ticket holder Faisal Mir Wednesday criticized the Punjab government for denying permission to hold a rally at Azadi Chowk to celebrate President Asif Ali Zardari’s birthday. Addressing a press conference at Lahore Press Club, Faisal Mir stated that the PPP wanted to hold an event at Minar-e-Pakistan on Thursday to celebrate President Asif Zardari’s birthday. He highlighted that President Asif Zardari is the only president of Pakistan who has been constitutionally elected twice.
He further stated that despite requesting permission to celebrate the birthday at Minar-e-Pakistan and subsequently at Azadi Chowk, both requests were denied. Mir pointed out that when Asif Zardari visited Lahore as President, Maryam Nawaz did not go to the airport to receive him, indicating an unfavorable attitude of the Punjab government towards the People’s Party.
He remarked that the PPP leadership had moved past these issues, but the Sharif family’s fascism remains persistent. Mir rejected the notion of holding the PPP responsible for the historical inflation, stating that during Shehbaz Sharif’s 16-month government, Bilawal Bhutto’s packages prevented the country from going bankrupt.
Mir emphasized that this was a simple birthday celebration, yet obstacles were being placed. “I demand that my party leadership withdraw support from the PML-N government in the center and Punjab. We do not accept the ban. We will come out against the Punjab government tomorrow. We will also get arrested tomorrow,” Mir declared. He accused the PML-N of retaining the same mentality as during Zia-ul-Haq’s era. “Our workers should come out tomorrow.
When Nawaz Sharif went abroad after making a deal with Pervez Musharraf, it was Benazir Bhutto who facilitated his return. Everything I am saying in this press conference is known to the People’s Party leadership and Raja Pervez Ashraf,” he concluded.
