Rawalpindi - The PPP city chapter has finalised all the arrangements to hold a mammoth public gathering to be held at Liaquat Bagh to observe 12th death anniversary of slain premier Benazir Bhutto (BB) today (Friday).
The public gathering is to be addressed by PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari while attended by all the party leadership and jiyalas from across the country and even from abroad.
Meanwhile, Rawalpindi police, under the command of City Police Officer (CPO) Muhammad Ahsan Younas, has announced a foolproof security plan to shield the PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari and other participants at Liaquat Bagh.
As many as 5,000 well-equipped cops and officers will be deputed around and inside Liaquat Bagh to protect the participants of the rally, informed a senior police officer while talking to The Nation on Thursday. The elite force commandos, Muhafiz Force, ladies police and personnel of Special Branch (SB) of Punjab Police will also assist the local police during security measures, he added.
Similarly, the city traffic police, following the directions of Chief Traffic Officer (CTO) Muhammad Bin Ashraf, have also devised a comprehensive traffic plan to facilitate the participants of rally and general public on the roads. “Some 207 officers and traffic wardens will be deputed in the city to control the traffic rush and to facilitate the participants of rally,” said CTO Muhammad Bin Ashraf.
According to details, PPP city chapter has finalised all the arrangements for the public rally to be held in Liaquat Bagh and for according a warm welcome to Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari upon his arrival in the city. In this regard, the whole venue is decorated with big-sized hoarding boards and banners having portraits of PPP founder Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto, former premier BB, ex-President Asif Ali Zardari and Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari. All the roads leading to Liaquat Bagh have also been decorated beautifully by the local leaders of PPP.
“No doubt, it will be a massive show by PPP in the history of city,” said PPP City President Babar Sultan Jadoon while talking to The Nation. He said the management has finalised all the arrangements for a successful meeting being held in connection with 12th death anniversary of Benazir Bhutto. He said the rally would be addressed by Bilawal Bhutto Zardari at around 4pm at the same place where her mother was martyred by the terrorists on December 27, 2007.
Jiyalas (PPP leaders and workers) are flooding towards Rawalpindi not only from Sindh, Punjab, KP, Balochistan, Gilgit-Baltistan and Azad Kahsmir but also from abroad to attend the landmark event of PPP, he claimed. “I am sure it will be a massive public gathering of PPP that will jolt the opponents in the country,” he said.
He said police and other law enforcement agencies have been inspecting the venue of public gathering in order to ensure foolproof security for our beloved leader Bilawal Bhutto Zardari and other leaders.
“The stage is all set to observe her death anniversary at the same place -Liaquat Bagh- where she was assassinated on December 27, 2007 in a gun-bomb attack and Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) completed all the arrangements,” said PPP Secretary Information Rawalpindi Muhammad Shahid. The venue has been decorated with party flags and pictures of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, Benazir Bhutto and Bilawal Bhutto Zardari. The security arrangements had been made for the public meeting, he said.
The workers and supporters from all over the country are arriving. The workers from Sindh, KP, Balochistan, Gilgit-Baltistan, AJK and Punjab arrived in the city.
The local party organization made arrangements for the stay of the party workers, he added.
PPP Parliamentary leader in the Senate Sherry Rehman, Qamar Zaman Kaira and Information Secretary Nafisa Shah visited the site and inspected the arrangements made for the public meeting.
“After 12 years, PPP is holding public meeting and it was an attempt to end the perception that PPP will not able to conduct Jalsa in Rawalpindi,” said Sherry Rehman while talking to media men at Liaquat Bagh.
“It will be tragic moment for Bilawal Bhutto Zardari to visit the site where his mother breathed her last. It will be difficult for all Jiyalas to gather at the site,” she said.
She said that all the political activities would start in every nook and corner of the country under the leadership of PPP. “A day was left but all the ways towards Liaquat Bagh are blocked due to presence of party workers who were pouring in the venue,” she said.
“Chalo Chalo Liaquat Bagh Chalo is the slogan of the country,” she said.
She said that inflation made the life of common man difficult. She said that the PTI government created problems for the people while increasing tariff of the utility bills. “Electricity tariff increased on December 26 and we are opposing such incompetence of the government,” she said.
Bilawal Bhutto Zardari will end the miseries of the people and he came to fulfil her mother’s promise with the people of Pakistan as Benazir Bhutto made in PPP manifesto,” she said.
She said that we would hold historical gathering to activate the party workers and supporters in Punjab.
PPP women wing and People’s Youth Organization brought out rallies in the different parts of city. More than 200 youngsters brought out rally of motorcycles from Faizabad.
PPP Islamabad chapter women wing arranged the rally of women workers and supporters led by Uzma Nasir. The torch bearer participants started the rally from Murree Road.
The party workers and supporters participated in these rallies in a large number and chanted slogans Chalo Chalo Liaquat Bagh and in favour of Benazir Bhutto and Bilawal Bhutto Zardari who is arriving at the site for the first time.