PML-N announces schedule for pre long march rallies

Anti-government protests to kick off from March 3; to be held throughout Punjab

LAHORE:

The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) announced on Tuesday the schedule for rallies to be held by the party ahead of the March 26 long march.

The PML-N’s anti-government protests are to take place throughout Punjab.

According to the schedule, the party will hold its first protest in Mianwali on March 3, and in Gujranwala, Mandi Bahauddin, Attock and district Rawalpindi on March 5.

Protests in Gujrat and Chakwal will be held on March 6, whereas public gatherings in Sialkot, Narowal and Lodhran will be held on March 7. Another protest will be held in Lodhran on March 13.

As per the schedule, the party will hold a rally in Sahiwal on March 10, whereas another one be held in Pakpattan the next day, March 11, and another in Vehari on March 12.

Two protests will be held in Attock, one on March 13 and another on March 20. A protest will also be held in Khanewal on March 13. The PML-N will hold a public gathering in Multan on March 19, followed by another one in Okara and Dera Ghazi Khan on March 15.

The opposition party is to then hold a protest on March 20 in Rahim Yar Khan.

According to the party's statement, protests are also to take place in Lahore, Faislabad, Kasur, Sheikhupura, Jhelum, Layyah and Rajanpur. However, dates for those have not been finalised yet.

The long march is a part of the 11-party opposition alliance's - the Pakistan Democratic Movement's (PDM) - anti-government campaign launched late last year.

On February 4, leaders of the opposition parties geared up for a decisive battle against the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) led government, setting the date of their long march on Islamabad and vowing not to allow the proceedings in both the houses of parliament.

Speaking after the marathon summit meeting of the PDM, Maulana Fazlur Rehman, the president of the 11-party opposition alliance, said that the long march to overthrow the government would be held on March 26.

Fresh from the conclusion of the first phase of its ant-government campaign that saw six opposition rallies in all the four provinces, the 11-party Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) changed gear on December 14, 2020, setting a deadline for the government to quit by January 31.

Leaders of the 11 constituent parties met in Lahore for four hours, after holding the overnight public gathering at the Minar-e-Pakistan, to sign the ‘Lahore Declaration’ that said that alliance leadership would unveil plans for a long march on the federal capital, if the government did not resign.