MULTAN - Chief of Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) Maulana Fazlur Rehman on Sunday categorically said that the Opposition's protest rally in Multan will go ahead as scheduled on Monday (today). He also strongly condemned the police action against workers of PPP and other opposition parties.

Talking to reporters along with PML-N Punjab president Rana Sanaullah and former PM Yousaf Raza Gillani, Maulana Fazl said that the PDM had initially decided to organise a long march to Islamabad in January 2021. However, it seems like the government wanted us to march to Islamabad earlier, he warned. 

“The workers must offer resistance to reach the stadium. The rally will be held at Qila Kohna Qasim Bagh,” he said.

On the other hand, the arrested Pakistan Democratic Movement leader Ali Qasim Gillani was shifted to Nishtar hospital for coronavirus test on Sunday.

According to police, Ali Qasim Gillani, the chief coordinator of PDM Public Meeting at Fort Qasim, was taken into police custody after he broken locks of the main gate of Fort Qasim Stadium. Gillani and other workers were shifted to Nishtar hospital for COVID-19 tests, police sources said.

Earlier, the police registered an FIR against different leaders of Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) for taking out illegal rally and breaking locks of main gate of Fort Qasim Stadium.

According to Lohari gate police station, different leaders of PDM including Ali Musa Gillani (ex-MNA), Ali Haider Gillani (MPA), Ali Qasim Gillani, Abdul Qadir Gillani (ex MNA), Javed Siddique, Abdur Rehman Kanju, Munawar Ehsan Qureshi, Shiekh Athar Mumtaz, Maulana Abdul Ghafoor Haideri, Moulana Ayaz ul Haq along with many others forcibly entered into the Stadium after breaking locks of main gate. They also threatened law enforcers of dire consequences. They violated coronavirus SOPs and Punjab Infectious Disease ordinance 2020. The FIR against the PDM leaders was registered under sections 148,149,423,379,306 and 186 of the PPC.

Meanwhile, the district administration removed flags of different political parties and again locked the gates of Qasim Bagh stadium. However, the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) refused to follow government and court orders and announced to hold public gathering at Qasim Bagh Stadium today. The district administration had rejected the application of PDM for public gathering in order to protect public lives from the deadly virus.