They threatened to cancel the MQM rally: Abdul Rasheed Gondal
Lahore DCO threatened to cancel the rally if MQM held its function at any other location other than the suggested.
MQM MNA Abdul Rasheed Gondal alleged that the Lahore DCO threatened to cancel a major rally by MQM in Punjab only mere hours before the first supporters were to arrive. He said this on last night’s Express 24/7 show Witness with Quatrina Hosain.
The show hosted by Munizhe Jehangir, pitched representatives from the PML-N, MNA Parvaiz Malik, the ANP, MNA Parvaiz Khan, and from the MQM, MNA Abdul Rasheed Gondal.
Gondal alleged that not only did the Lahore authorities spare no effort to ensure the event was a disaster, they almost even banned the entry of supporters to the final location for the rally. “We were told that the Gaddafi stadium road had been closed” before going on to say that the Lahore DCO had openly threatened them to cancel the rally if the MQM wished to hold its function at any other location except at the Gaddafi football ground.
Parvaiz Malik defended the allegations imposed on the Lahore DCO, “the initial location of Minar-e-Pakistan was too much of a security risk with even the agencies objecting to the choice, however, a number of alternative locations were offered which would have been suitable for a political rally”.
A secondary choice identified by the MQM too was shifted after some residents and traders objected, and all decisions were taken in the best interest of the security of the party leaders and visiting supporters.
Parvaiz Khan of the ANP said that while it was a promising sign to see the MQM try and expand into other parts of the country, the party should make its political stronghold, Karachi a model of its politics and long term policies to be able to woo voters from Punjab. The sequences of target killing, and alleged extortion cases should be shirked.
Malik, whose party has been at a logger heads with the PPP over the issue of a Seraiki province in the south of Punjab, viewed MQM’s call as a mere election slogan. However, he said that the support MQM received from the PML-Q and former president Pervez Musharraf’s party, the APML, the PML-N was being attacked and forced into a corner. He stressed that his party, which had much to lose in the case of bifurcation of Punjab, wished all calls for a new province respect the 1973 constitution.
Munizhe quizzed her guests about the ethnic vote banks that each relied so much on during elections. Malik defended the heavy Punjabi flavour to his party’s politics claiming that their party was not fully prepared for the elections as the party leadership had returned shortly before the elections.
Parvaiz Khan said that it took 60 years for their province to be renamed as Khyber Pakhtoonkhwa. The idea of a loose federation appealed more in his opinion rather than a counterproductive call for all ethnicities to form their individual provinces.
Gondol for his part said that they already had representation from Azad Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan and were working hard to change the statistics and sentiments come next election.
The show hosted by Munizhe Jehangir, pitched representatives from the PML-N, MNA Parvaiz Malik, the ANP, MNA Parvaiz Khan, and from the MQM, MNA Abdul Rasheed Gondal.
Gondal alleged that not only did the Lahore authorities spare no effort to ensure the event was a disaster, they almost even banned the entry of supporters to the final location for the rally. “We were told that the Gaddafi stadium road had been closed” before going on to say that the Lahore DCO had openly threatened them to cancel the rally if the MQM wished to hold its function at any other location except at the Gaddafi football ground.
Parvaiz Malik defended the allegations imposed on the Lahore DCO, “the initial location of Minar-e-Pakistan was too much of a security risk with even the agencies objecting to the choice, however, a number of alternative locations were offered which would have been suitable for a political rally”.
A secondary choice identified by the MQM too was shifted after some residents and traders objected, and all decisions were taken in the best interest of the security of the party leaders and visiting supporters.
Parvaiz Khan of the ANP said that while it was a promising sign to see the MQM try and expand into other parts of the country, the party should make its political stronghold, Karachi a model of its politics and long term policies to be able to woo voters from Punjab. The sequences of target killing, and alleged extortion cases should be shirked.
Malik, whose party has been at a logger heads with the PPP over the issue of a Seraiki province in the south of Punjab, viewed MQM’s call as a mere election slogan. However, he said that the support MQM received from the PML-Q and former president Pervez Musharraf’s party, the APML, the PML-N was being attacked and forced into a corner. He stressed that his party, which had much to lose in the case of bifurcation of Punjab, wished all calls for a new province respect the 1973 constitution.
Munizhe quizzed her guests about the ethnic vote banks that each relied so much on during elections. Malik defended the heavy Punjabi flavour to his party’s politics claiming that their party was not fully prepared for the elections as the party leadership had returned shortly before the elections.
Parvaiz Khan said that it took 60 years for their province to be renamed as Khyber Pakhtoonkhwa. The idea of a loose federation appealed more in his opinion rather than a counterproductive call for all ethnicities to form their individual provinces.
Gondol for his part said that they already had representation from Azad Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan and were working hard to change the statistics and sentiments come next election.