Sharif’s road show: Change in plan embarrasses PML-N leaders

Leaders based in cities and towns where rally passed through say they were not informed about the last minute change

LAHORE: An abrupt change in plan for deposed prime minister Nawaz Sharif’s GT Road rally caused embarrassment for the party leaders based in the towns and cities where it passed through.

Sources revealed that multiple plans were prepared for the rally which started on Wednesday from Islamabad. However, a sudden change and miscommunication resulted in Sharif's poor reception in Jhelum.

The former PM’s advisers wanted the rally to gradually build up its pace. The rationale behind this strategy was that the PML-N wanted a large crowd to be blamed for the slow pace.



Apparently, this turned out to be a big mistake as this strategy was not communicated to the local leadership which was expecting a gathering at Jhelum by the end of Wednesday.

They said as the rally was only to pass through Rawalpindi, a mid-sized crowd was gathered for a good visual for TV channels.

If Sharif wanted to move at such a slow pace, then the plan should at least have been communicated to the local leaders, the sources said.



The disruption took place on Thursday, when the former PM’s convoy after a few kilometres from Rawalpindi, changed the strategy of moving at a snail’s pace.

They started moving at a speed of 120 km per hour towards Gujjar Khan while briefly stopping in Suhawa and then in Dena.

The local leaders, who were not expecting this change, held it responsible for the low turnout of party supporters.

They said because of the change in pace, they failed to gather enough people for Sharif’s rally.

With the electronic media's live coverage, it was embarrassing for the PML-N leaders to be greeted by a mere few hundred people, they lamented.



The shift in plan also disappointed the local government representatives who were preparing for a grand entry in Lahore.

Officially, adhering to security concerns, the Punjab government had demanded a change in strategy. The leaders, however, pinned the blame on the federal government.