PPP steps back from Iqbal Park rally

The PPP Lahore chapter, after a day-long standoff with the police and district administration, on Friday finally agreed to shift its workers' convention to the Governor House following the intervention of the party leadership.

The decision was made over concerns for the safety of party workers after the district administration refused permission to hold the event at Greater Iqbal Park.

PPP's plans to hold the convention at Greater Iqbal Park unraveled despite the party having erected a large stage and completed much of the preparations. Midway through the day, the district administration moved to stop the event, maintaining that the party did not have the required permission to use the venue.

Despite the denial, PPP workers remained at the site in large numbers under the leadership of Lahore chapter president Faisal Mir, insisting on proceeding with the convention. By evening, however, the administration stepped up its efforts and directed party workers to vacate the venue immediately.

Amid the standoff, reports emerged that police had detained two PPP office-bearers. The two later returned, allegedly bearing bruises and other visible injuries.

Faisal Mir accused the police of rounding up party workers and subjecting them to physical assault. According to party sources, PPP Punjab President Raja Pervaiz Ashraf advised Mir to avoid a confrontation with the authorities and relocate the convention to another venue.

Mir also claimed that officials from the district administration told him the decision to bar the PPP from holding the event at Greater Iqbal Park had come "from elsewhere" rather than from the Punjab government.

However, when contacted by The Express Tribune, Lahore Deputy Commissioner denied the allegation, rejecting Mir's claim outright.

When The Express Tribune contacted the Chief Minister's Office to verify claims that the Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister had assured PPP Lahore President Faisal Mir that Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz had approved the party's workers' convention at Greater Iqbal Park, officials declined to comment.

It is pertinent to note that a day earlier, district administration officials had told The Express Tribune that the PPP would not be stopped from holding its event as long as relations between the PPP and the PML-N leadership remained cordial.

Speaking to The Express Tribune, Faisal Mir said he had received assurances from the Chief Minister's Office that the chief minister had consented to the event, prompting the party to begin preparations at Greater Iqbal Park.

"Fourteen hours later, the district administration suddenly woke up and stopped our workers' convention," Mir said. He added that, following instructions from the party leadership, the convention had been shifted to the Governor House to avoid confrontation.

A day earlier, the PPP Lahore chapter had entered Greater Iqbal Park and erected a stage for a workers' convention that also coincided with celebrations marking former president Asif Ali Zardari's birthday. The preparations began without written permission from the district administration, but authorities initially did not intervene.

Officials had indicated that the arrangement would continue only as long as the political understanding between the PPP and the PML-N leadership remained intact. They maintained that if the situation changed, the administration would enforce the law. PPP sources also acknowledged that the party had proceeded with preparations without written approval, saying it relied on what they described as a verbal understanding with the authorities that they believed was sufficient to move ahead with the event.