Upping the ante: Slogans and music vie to pull Faisalabad crowd

District government arranges musical night coinciding with PTI show.

FAISALABAD/ LAHORE:

With the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) trying to put an impressive show at its rally on Sunday (tomorrow), the district government has arranged a musical programme in the city the same evening.

The city government stated that individuals who had been banned from delivering public speeches would not be allowed to join the PTI show and no one would be allowed to brandish weapons.

The city administration also issued guidelines for the PTI rally at Dhobi Ghat under which police commandos would be deployed near the stage. There would be a distance of 80 feet between the stage and the people attending the rally.

The musical programme would be arranged at Bohranwali Ground, adjacent to Bagh-e-Jinnah where an industrial expo is being held for the last few days.

The expo that was scheduled to conclude on May 18 has been extended until tomorrow. It would conclude with the musical event from 5pm to midnight.

Singers Nasibo Lal, Horia Khan and Indian artist Hans Raj Hans would be among the performers.

Speaking to The Express Tribune, PTI leader Asad Moazzam said the people would foil the government’s attempt to keep them from attending the rally.

Separately, PTI’s Punjab chapter president Ejaz Chaudhry urged the government to ensure “foolproof security” at the party’s rally.

Speaking at a press conference in Lahore, Chaudhry said the party had received a letter from the Punjab Home Department about potential security threats to the gathering.

“Such tactics will not trigger panic among the party workers,” he said.

The leader said of the 1,300 security officials protecting the prime minister, the Punjab chief minister and their residences, some should be deployed at the PTI rally.

He said the PTI would highlight “rigging in the May 11 general election and the bad governance of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz government”.

“Tomorrow’s rally will be a tsunami against the government’s poor performance.”

Published in The Express Tribune, May 24^th, 2014.