LAHORE:
The presence of Nawaz Sharif was not enough for the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) to draw an imposing crowd at their rally in Faisalabad on Sunday.
Intelligence and law enforcement agencies reported that the PML-N’s Faisalabad rally had a smaller crowd than the recent Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaaf’s Lahore rally and even the PML-N’s own rally in the same city.
According to sources, Punjab police’s Special Branch (SB), which is directly answerable to the Punjab government, stated in its report that PML-N’s Faisalabad rally attracted fewer participants than PTI’s Lahore rally. SB reported that around 35,000 people participated at the Dhobi Ghaat rally between the peak hours of 5pm and 7:45pm.
It seems that federal and provincial intelligence services kept more than one eye on proceedings in Faisalabad. Senior officers and field staffers were deployed by Punjab’s SB, Security Branch, Inter-Services Intelligence, the Intelligence Bureau and Military Intelligence, sources said.
The rally caused too much excitement for some. A PML-N worker firing in the air prior to the meeting unwittingly injured a nine-year-old boy, who was hospitalised after being shot. A man, Haji Sajjad, also died from a heart attack on his way to the rally.
Reports also revealed that many of those in attendance came from outside the city, with only 6,000 to 8,000 participants from Faisalabad itself.
The Punjab police’s Special Branch had estimated that PTI’s Lahore rally drew around 40,000 and the PML-N’s Lahore rally drew around 45,000 people. Federal government agencies had vastly different numbers, however. The Intelligence Bureau estimated 60,000 people attended the PTI rally, with only around 20,000 at the PML-N rally.
Published in The Express Tribune, November 23rd, 2011.
COMMENTS (27)
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@Majid: for your information the whole area of Iqbal park is 61 acres and the area I measured was exactly what you are mentioning....I have been living in Lahore for 30 years and I know the geometry of park as well......
@Starboy: When you have less at stake it is easier to tell the truth
@Truth, When a jalsa is staged whole iqbal park is not covered but only a part of it is used for jalsa. It normally starts from minar-e-pakistan facing towards ravi road. It is just a small part of whole iqbal part.
A PML-N worker firing in the air prior to the meeting unwittingly injured a nine-year-old boy, . What modern country permits people to shoot off firearms at public rallies?
Yar all these numbers a crap!.
Numbers can be estimated on more informed basis: work out the total area of the venue in square feet. Then divide it by a factor of 4.5 or 5 depending on how densely the people are standing. This will give you the number of persons.
I belong to faisalabad and i was present in the jalsa, dhobi ghat ground has a capacity of maximum 30 thousand people, and it was not filled completely, chairs were placed with about 4 feet distance between rows. hundreds of chairs were vacant and crowd was not local, nawaz shareef's face was indicating the failure of the jalsa. a guy was making film of the vacant chairs and pmln workers and policemen attacked him to stop him from filming.
just launched google earth Pro version 6 and checked the area of Iqbal park it is 60 acres....and dhobi ghat is only 7 acres....so how can 60000 in Lahore and 35000 in Faisalabad attend...???
actually the figures are at least 150,000 in Lahore and only 25,000 in Faisalabad.... this is scientific and common sense based research..I am neither PML N nor PTI fan....I am actually follower of MQM but we welcome PTI on the political stage and admit that he has following ....huge following....mind you getting 150,000 in Karachi is asking too much from PTI...but still PTI can dethrone PML N in Punjab if true and fair elections are held even tomorrow....
@Mobin: r u joking i m also there. 50,000 apprx
over 200,000 people were there .i was also there
What Intelligence agencies were doing in the rally? have they not got better things to do?
I belong to Faisalabad & was there on that day... Allah Ka sukar hey I am not Blind also..Figures are so funny.... this is not intelligence report.This report is from some where else(?) that only 20,000/-people were there in the rally i think they never saw the area of Dohbhi Gahatt. or they are blind.....I can confirm that it is one of the biggest rallies of Fsd.history... Pl.go to Fsd.& ask how many People were there....i dont want to qoute any numbers....
It was a failed show as i was unable to see any of the educated lot there ,which were witnessed in PTIs rally.
What have the "intelligent" agencies got to do with political rallies. Have they enough time to spare after dealing with terrorists, robbers, car lifters etc??
the main problem was something else... as I am from Faisalabad and I came to know that due to some parties issues going on within the Faisalabad Body and those who are Nawaz close allies, did not let the local leadership to work and put them on the audience seat only..if you have a close look on the throughout rally.. expect from Rana Sana Ullah (Provisional Law Minister) all the other person to whom you see on media were on the stage. Therefore, the difference is clearly seen here and that is one of the biggest reason that they failed to fill the ground on that day...
Nothing can justify the injury of a nine year old. I am sure he was one of the school children that were forced to come by their school headmasters.
@Umair the intelligence agencies are there for security reasons, and it is their job to report the number of people attending any event. This happens in every public event.
@AbuBakar and @Blithe Well no one actually heard anything about it. It is your failure to understand how PPP and PMLn are loosing support all over Pakistan.
PML(N) forced 8th & 9th class students to paticipate in the jalsa. Just read the 22nd nov article in ET.
"The Punjab police’s Special Branch had estimated that PTI’s Lahore rally drew around 40,000 and the PML-N’s Lahore rally drew around 45,000 people" What about international media the washington post, newyork time, sydny tribune, NDTV, hindustan time......who all confirmed that there were minimum 1,50000 people in PTI lahore rally. Are they all lying.
Numbers. Funny thing.
Good news for IK and Pakistan
Its not about numbers, stupid. Its the voice which matters and which reached everywhere in the country ...
...what did the poor little guy of 9 years old had to do with it. Firing in the air should be banned in Pakistan...certainly a useless activity
It is true that more ppl where taken from rural areas, as i witnessed the proceedings in the local areas of samundari and tandlianwala.
how much interested the agencies are? :|
not to worry they can always claim dhandlee after losing the election.
Political immaturity of the “experts” is such that not a single vote has been cast but they are predicting the results of next elections more than a year in advance. This is done on the basis of unscientific surveys and studies. Some even have chosen the next president and PM! They are living in fool’s paradise as there are many a steps between the cup and the lip! The fact is Pakistan has mostly rural population and most of them do not go to these political shows but they do go out and vote their same old favorites whether we like it or not but it is their democratic right.