PTI rally leaves Liaquat Bagh in a shambles

PHA director says they can charge the organisers for damages

RAWALPINDI:

The rally of the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) left the Liaquat Bagh in shambles as many young plants and saplings were trampled by the participants, The Express Tribune learnt during a survey of the park Monday.

“There should be a fee for holding protests or public meetings at Liaquat Bagh to cover the damages caused by the crowd,” said Parks and Horticulture Authority Director Sheikh Tariq while talking the The Express Tribune.

PWhen asked if he would send the bill for damages to PTI, like the one sent to PPP who readily cleared the Rs1 million damages after the Rawalpindi rally of Bilawal Bhutto, Tariq said he would.

“I don’t know what happened, let me get a report and then I will be able to comment,” he said.

Tariq asserted that PHA would also penalise PTI, just like it had done PPP, if he got the report that its rally had damaged plants and landscaping at Liaquat Bagh.

The park’s caretakers said that the damage was caused by setting up the stage on the green area instead of the designated site for stages.

They added that a huge container, used as a stage, was dragged into the park which crushed many saplings while the participants trampled the plants too.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 13^th, 2020.