KARACHI: The Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf has finally been granted permission by the home department to hold their rally, as planned, on December 25 at the ground adjacent to Quaid-e-Azam's mausoleum.
Sindh Home Minister Manzoor Wasan made the announcement after a detailed discussion with PTI leaders at the home department on Wednesday. The additional chief secretary of the home department, Waseem Ahmed, said that the Sindh government never really had an issue with them holding a rally in the first place.
Officials from the home department said that the grounds did not fall under their jurisdiction and their control came under a federal-level body called the Quaid-i-Azam Trust. "The problem was that the political party was insisting to hold the rally on the same day as the Quaid's birthday," said an official. "We already had plans to hold an event for the Quaid's birthday."
PTI Sindh President Naeemul Haque, however, said that the idea was not to overshadow the Quaid's birthday. "We are actually celebrating the Quaid's birthday, not overshadowing it," he said. "We are trying to remind people about Mohammad Ali Jinnah's message. We are trying to remind them of faith, unity and discipline, especially national unity."
He added that the matter was sorted out and the mausoleum's management gave them permission to hold the rally.
Home department officials had earlier asked PTI officials to hold their rally at an alternative venue such as Nishtar Park. "Even in the meeting we asked them what was more important - the Quaid's birthday or the PTI rally," said Ahmed. "But they wouldn't listen to us."
Security measures taken by the government for the rally were also discussed at the meeting. An official from the home department said that the police and Rangers will be deployed.
Haque said that the security plan would be discussed and drawn up in the next couple of days with input from the home department, the police and Rangers. He added that the home department had assured PTI leaders that the security would be taken care of and they would have to work closely with the traffic police as massive traffic arrangements would have to be made.
Haque said that there will be no politicians joining PTI at the event itself, any announcements will be made separately and before or after the December 25 event. He also declined to give an exact number of how many people the party expects will be attending, but believes it will be in hundreds of thousands.
PTI secretary general Arif Alvi and PTI leader Firdous Naqvi were also present at the meeting.
December 25 is a national holiday and senior government officials, dignitaries and schoolchildren usually go to the mausoleum to pay their respects to the founder of the nation.
New members
Father Wilson John Gill and Pastor Maria from the Christian community joined the PTI on Wednesday. The PTI's women's wing Sindh President Zehra Shahid invited the Christian community to participate in their upcoming rally on December 25.
Published in The Express Tribune, December 15th, 2011.
COMMENTS (61)
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@commonsense You mr.commonence are deliberating mixing Mazar-e-Quaid and Bagh-e-Quaid in order to build your thesis.You should say sorry after it has been cleared that Jalsa is not at Mazar-e-Quaid.Now come up with another objection.
Will Imran Khan thank Bilawal Bhutto Zardari to allowing him to rally in Karachi?
@Tanzeel: Hi buddy, check out the area of Jalsa gah for 25th dec PTI jalsa on google Earth.. the Length of the ground is 470 meters and width is about 230 meters which means the total area is around 108100 sq meters
And as for M A Jinnah road where MQM rally/jalsas are usually held, the width of M A Jinnah road at best is 30 meters and length from Tibet centre to Quaid Mazar is about 1750 m which means the total area is about 52500 meters which is less than half of the venue selected for PTI jalsa.
What a bad caption, do you think he's more important for us than Jesus Christ. He's there to ruin our Christmas and you call it special. We catholics wanted to vote him until he planned to ruin our Christmas for his dirty politics.
Misleading Headline IT is Q'ds birthday event NOT a christmas event..EXPRESS TRIBUNE ! wrong headline..wrong message..SHAME!
New enterants into PTI, General Bajwa, General Shahid Aziz, General Javed Hasan, Brigadier Minhas.......all these people, who actively imposed martial law on us in 1999 and 2007, THESE are the people who will honor Quaid? These people who suspended the constitution twice and who are now Imran's blue eyed boys, THEY will honor Quaid? How? By telling him we ground your constitution under our boots? And Imran will clap and cheer them on. Pathetic!!!!!
Only manzoor wassan could think someone would want to hold a rally inside Quaid's mausoleum, being the dreamer he is. Best of luck to IK, have a safe and successful rally!
Welcome IK! Khi is waiting for you. MQM should make sure nothing goes wrong in the rally or else all everyone would finger point MQM and govt.
Why the Caption of "CHRISTMAS DAY SPECIAL"?
The PTI will be issuing a full plan for the management of traffic by the end of the week"
Blocking roads ruining Christmas for our Christians brothers & sisters . what a shame . they just dont have any freedom on their own festive day .
To all accosting Commonsense:
The PTI did want to conduct the rally inside mazar grounds with the stage at the Mausoleum, this request was turned down by the Sindh government and the Interior ministry requested PTI to hold rally at MA Jinnah or the Jacob lines ground. How media twists information.
Pakistan today is in so many ways, as it may have been when it was created. It just hasn't progressed or developed as has it's much larger neighbour.
I think Imran's smart move of holding this rally near the Quaid's place is very significant.
a) It shows that Pakistan is having a rebirth and gives another chance for all it's people to unite to make Pakistan a better place for all it's citizens. b) By associating himself with the Quaid, he has virually dismissed all the other politicians that have done nothing for Pakistan and everything for themselves.
hey come on we all knows what goes on in there if all political parties will follow IK and have their political meetings in that place it might clean it out .Mr Khan please carry on and dont let any body to stop you clean Our Quaid's Mazar and clean the whole city as well . Karachi needs you whole Pakistan need you .
I hope it turns out to be a safe rally. Really do hope.
@CommonSense: Well, it never happens inside the Mausoleum. It happens in the ground across the road.
@Ali: I have been to Mazar-e Quaid on 25th Dec. Have you? Just subtract that from what you are going to see this year and you get your answer. My guess it is going to be in hundreds of thousands.
Very well said above - The only reason they are holding the rally near Quaid's Mazaar is so it can seem that all those visiting Quaid's mazaar for his birthday or all those in the vicinity for Christmas will look like PTI supporters. Can't really expect much else from Imran Khan and his party which is trying to gain momentum by all means possible - even by having banned terrorist outfits like Sipah-e-Sahaba present in his rallies (their flags have been present before).
The number of people that will attend depends on how many samosas and cups of tea IK and his party will give to those who attend...
He's still better than Zardari, Altaf and Nawaz though, so maybe he deserves a chance...
Here is the picture of M.A Jinnah Rd/ Tibet Centre Karachi where MQM hold most of its rallies. Imran Khan should try bringing his TSUNAMI here since Mazar e Quaid doesn't have the capacity to fill up with huge crowd expected on 25th.
@CommonSense: Use common sense in your writings too. Had MQM wanted to do Jalsa within Mazar e Quaid premises they would have done that ANY TIME but its morally unethical to use that place for political activities and abusing other politicians. The best places for conducting rallies are Tibet Centr (from where Mazar e Quaid is visible) and Nashtar Park where political partiesoften hold their rallies,demanding a Jalsa within the premises of Mausoleum is something doesn't make sense at all, nor that place is designed to accommodate TSUNAMI of people.
good news... pti zinda bad!
PTI: why don't you hold your rally at the National Stadium? there's enough space inside and out. Plus, IK has always played well there.
First the selection of Minar-e-Pakistan and then the Mazar-e-Quaid's itself speaks of the positiveness in PTI's camp... Go PTI, we are with you!
@Ali: give me the number that you believe come to fatiha on Quaid's grave on 25th Decembers...
Not a good idea to hold at anywhere near mazar-e-quaid on 25th december many other party leaders and workers will be attending ceremonies at the mazar any harsh change of words could result into chaos and then PTI will try to gain sympathy in the media that they were victimized this and that Karachi is huge why not hold a rally on super highway over there the whole world can see the Tsunami if there is any
You see the venue is not Quaid's mausoleum. It is a rocky ground which is across the road and about 1 KM away from Quaid's mausoleum. Even the entrance to that rocky ground is totally opposite to the entry gates of Quaid's Mazar. In Lahore one can organize a huge political gathering at Minar-e-Pakistan but in Karachi it is not a good idea to organize a rally close to Quaid's Mazar which is a symbol of unity for this nation. WHY ?
When there is so much bloodshed in this city of lights it is a good idea to bring every karachiite under one roof and unite them using Quaid-e-Azam as a symbol. It is not at all a bad idea in my humble opinion.
So all the best to those who are attending. Those who are jealous please drink a glass of water. Those who want to disturb the rally, may ALLAH guide you to the right path. I hope every citizen of this country remains safe :)
@CommonSense:
man your theory just doesn't make any sense. he is not holding rally inside the mausoleum, park is on the opposite side. and nobody should have any problem if any other party wants to hold it's rallies there. "Quaids mausoleum is supposed to signify unity, equality and the sacrifices that went into building this nation" so finally you understand the point of holding the rally there
@CommonSense: First please suggest an alternate solution then to accommodate so many people. Secondly, while to some, there is a great man 'burried' in that mosoleum, for others, there is a great soul waiting there for this nation to rise out of its ashes. May be it is that symbol of Quaid's spiritual presence in the rally that matters more than anything else.
I think this is a good call by Mazoor Wasan - MQM had already welcomed PTI to hold jalsa anywhere in Karachi..watch the press conference of MQM leader Raza Haroon
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ghydGAftw1A
even government didn't all kaptaan was bound to hold rally,so there war no option but to bow out.
@CommonSense: O bhai its not there. It is in nearby ground!
Bring it on, lets see what PTI can do in Karachi
According to the Ministry of Heritage, the mausoleum area according to law is all the marbled flooring around the mazar which belongs to Quid-e-Azam trust, PTI Zindabad, Imran Khan all the way you are the only person who can free us from these corrupt politicians.
agree with u commonsense. all political parties have a personal agenda immaterial of peoples sentiments. with the number of corrupt politicians dropping out of other parties n joining pti there isnt going to be any/much of a change as promised !!!
National Unity Jalsa zindabad !
Wish the Karachiites the "DAWN of a New Era"...
Rumors are that MQM will support the rally. Can a Karachiite explain the dynamics of this move
Which singer will perform on that day?
Seems that PTI wishes to create a controversy by asking the Govt. of Sindh for a permit which it is not authorized to issue and then create a hue and cry about how scared PPP is.
@Commonsense
PTI is not asking the place of Quaid Mazar or any of its park. There is a road outside this park and then there is a another open ground. PTI is asking for this ground to be used. Sindh gov has deliberately spread confusion to create hurdles by administrative tactics.
PTI is NOT holding the rally in Mazar-e-Quaid's premises....It is across the Shahrah-e-Qaideen in an unzoned land...No one else used that venue before because it is a rough terrain with having a lot of overgrown wild plantation but PTI volunteers are working hard to transform it into a proper ground... That'll also prove their committment and motivation to this cause.....
The Jalsa is not in the Mausoleum park. Instead it is in Bagh-e-Quaid which is adjacent to Mazar-e-Quaid & is definitely 10 feets away because there is a double road in between!
it is not being held inside the mausoleum but in the ground opposite it. Common sense?:)@CommonSense:
Welcome to KHI ...
PPP and PMLN is united to fail the show, Karachiites please don't let down KAPTAN, ball is in your court.
Did he mean MQM of "things are not in our hands" ?
I would have though ibn-e-qasim park or the old racecourse ground would be mentioned by someone .. guess not.
10 feet???
At this time, every one is trying to jojn PTI to take a ride on the rising political party which is going to ruin the efforts made by Mr. Imran Khan and his collegauges during the last 15 years.
Time will speak when people will cast their votes.
I can just wish PTI best of luck.
Smart boy Wassan. He knows he can't stop it. He dreampt it alraedy.
PTI will hold rally INSHAALLAH
All eyes on MQM now..
"Venue is not inside the Quaid’s mausoleum" PTI Why this Wassan guy trying to spread lies?