PTI to go ahead with rally with or without permit
Party expecting at least half a million people for Bagh-e-Quaid gathering.
KARACHI:
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has declared that it will hold its December 25 rally in Karachi even if the government does not cooperate with it. But it simultaneously admits that it will need government security as it expects half a million people to show up.
The government has currently banned political gatherings under a law called Section 144 of the Pakistan Penal Code. “We don’t need government permission for this rally as it is being held in a public place,” said the party’s chief in Sindh, Naeem-ul Haq. “But we have sent a letter to the government informing it of the rally.” But for their part, home department adviser Sharafuddin Memon said that if a letter had been sent to them, he wasn’t aware of it yet.
PTI members went around Bagh-e-Quaid on Saturday to survey the spot and briefed journalists on their preparations. PTI Sindh General Secretary Dr Alvi couldn’t hold back comment. “This land was supposed to be made into a park but it is filled with rocks. The few trees that were planted have dried up and there is open sewerage and garbage everywhere. There is no reason we shouldn’t be able to hold the rally here.”
Party workers have been ordered to start cleaning the plot two days before the rally. “The empty plot’s condition will actually improve because of the rally, as we will clean and possibly even level it.” A confident Dr Alvi went on to say that perhaps the government did not want to cooperate with the PTI as it was becoming a big power in the country.
The plot is located directly across Mazaar-e-Quaid near Numaish Chowrangi, a popular spot for political gatherings in the city. It is fenced off from all sides and is surrounded by roads on three. The party claims that the rally will not cause any major traffic jams but it expects more people to turn up than the Lahore rally. Party supporters are expecte to be bussing in from across Sindh.
Haq described the spot as perfect for the rally. “We are expecting at least half a million people and there is no other place in Karachi that can hold this many people,” he said. “It is more secure than the open road.”
The rally is taking place on Christmas Day and Quaid-e-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah’s birth anniversary. This had led Sindh Information Minister Shazia Marri to earlier question the PTI’s timing as it could make it difficult for Karachi’s Christians to commute. The PTI’s response was that no churches were located in the vicinity, they were not shutting down any roads and Christmas celebrations wouldn’t be taking place at the time of the rally.
Published in The Express Tribune, December 11th, 2011
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has declared that it will hold its December 25 rally in Karachi even if the government does not cooperate with it. But it simultaneously admits that it will need government security as it expects half a million people to show up.
The government has currently banned political gatherings under a law called Section 144 of the Pakistan Penal Code. “We don’t need government permission for this rally as it is being held in a public place,” said the party’s chief in Sindh, Naeem-ul Haq. “But we have sent a letter to the government informing it of the rally.” But for their part, home department adviser Sharafuddin Memon said that if a letter had been sent to them, he wasn’t aware of it yet.
PTI members went around Bagh-e-Quaid on Saturday to survey the spot and briefed journalists on their preparations. PTI Sindh General Secretary Dr Alvi couldn’t hold back comment. “This land was supposed to be made into a park but it is filled with rocks. The few trees that were planted have dried up and there is open sewerage and garbage everywhere. There is no reason we shouldn’t be able to hold the rally here.”
Party workers have been ordered to start cleaning the plot two days before the rally. “The empty plot’s condition will actually improve because of the rally, as we will clean and possibly even level it.” A confident Dr Alvi went on to say that perhaps the government did not want to cooperate with the PTI as it was becoming a big power in the country.
The plot is located directly across Mazaar-e-Quaid near Numaish Chowrangi, a popular spot for political gatherings in the city. It is fenced off from all sides and is surrounded by roads on three. The party claims that the rally will not cause any major traffic jams but it expects more people to turn up than the Lahore rally. Party supporters are expecte to be bussing in from across Sindh.
Haq described the spot as perfect for the rally. “We are expecting at least half a million people and there is no other place in Karachi that can hold this many people,” he said. “It is more secure than the open road.”
The rally is taking place on Christmas Day and Quaid-e-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah’s birth anniversary. This had led Sindh Information Minister Shazia Marri to earlier question the PTI’s timing as it could make it difficult for Karachi’s Christians to commute. The PTI’s response was that no churches were located in the vicinity, they were not shutting down any roads and Christmas celebrations wouldn’t be taking place at the time of the rally.
Published in The Express Tribune, December 11th, 2011