Preparations for the PTI’s rally at Kahna, Lahore to be held in the afternoon later today have now entered their final stages as the sound system has been installed while chairs have been placed at the venue as the caravans of the party workers keep pouring into the Punjab capital to attend the event. On the other hand, police rounded up over 100 PTI leaders and workers from different parts of the city during the last 24 hours ahead of the party’s rally.  The administration late Friday night decided to put 42 party leaders under house arrest, while a letter was issued in which it was stated that five of these leaders namely Yasir Gilani, Malik Afzal, Fazal Khan, Amir Gilani and Fazal Dad would remain confined to their homes for 30 days. Meanwhile, the administration, in order to keep the PTI workers at bay, placed containers from Shahdara to Azadi Chowk. On the other hand, in a video message to the party workers, PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar appealed to them not to block routes.  

In her reaction to the Gulberg incident, Punjab Information Minister Azma Bukhari said that the PTI was a ‘Party of Fasad (anarchy)’. She said that the PTI workers had blocked roads and indulged in acts of arson. “Now when the government takes action against them, they will cry,” she said. Surprisingly, PTI workers in Peshawar did push-ups at the Chief Minister’s House to show their preparedness for the power show.  The workers also announced to take machinery with them in order to remove obstacles from roads. On Friday, PTI received permission from the local administration to hold a rally at Kahna with a long list of SOPs. PTI lawyers confirmed that the administration had given a green signal for the public meeting. The approval was given following a directive from the Lahore High Court, in which it asked the district administration to take a decision on PTI's request for a rally by 5:00 pm on Friday.

The Deputy Commissioner’s office, while issuing the NOC, said that the rally would take place at Kahna instead of Minar-e-Pakistan. The PTI has been allowed to hold its gathering between 3pm and 6pm. Syed Shadab Jafri, chief organiser of PTI rally, told the media that the local government had approved their application for rally at Kahna. He said this would be a historic event. He urged the administration not to create hurdles in the arrangements. According to the SOPs, time of the PTI rally has been set between 3pm to 6pm. Rally organizers will be responsible for ensuring stage’s safety. Security of ladies and gentlemen enclosures, emergency exits, crowd avoidance/control measures and adequate parking will be ensured with the recruitment of private security and volunteers. PTI groups from outside the city will not come to Lahore to disrupt the daily life.  Anti-state slogans and statements should not be made during the meeting.

Credit: Independent News Pakistan