South Punjab politics charges up

MULTAN: Political activities are likely to get a boost in coming days in south Punjab as the Pakistan Muslim League-N, Pakistan People’s Party and Awami Raj Party have planned public meetings in Multan and Layyah.

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf has planned to give more dents in the PML-N after having successful dialogues with the Janoobi Punjab Sooba Mahaz (JPSM) leadership. Political pundits are expecting that the JPSM merger with the PTI would be announced when the PML-N and the PPP leadership were addressing their respective public meetings. Multan is decorated with PML-N banners at different chowks with big portraits of Nawaz Sharif and Maryam Nawaz. PPP chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari is going to address a public meeting at Milad Ground in Layyah on May 10. Earlier, the PPP chairman had planned to stay in Multan Bilawal House but later he changed his schedule and now he would directly reach Layyah from Lahore on Thursday.

Former premier Nawaz Sharif and his daughter Maryam Nawaz would address a public meeting at Qila Qasim Bagh stadium on May 11. The Awami Raaj Party led by MNA Jamshed Dasti is going to hold its first public meeting at Qila Qasim Bagh on May 13. Earlier, Dasti announced his public meeting on May 11 but the district administration had refused allowing him to hold a meeting there because of the PML-N’s public meeting on May 11 at the same venue. Dasti moved the Lahore High Court Multan Bench for grant of permission and the court allowed him holding public meeting on May 13 instead of May 11 to avoid clash between both the parties. Talking to The News, he the JPSM had politicised the south Punjab province and bargained with the PTI to capture maximum slots but people would reject them in the upcoming polls. “The JPSM merger with the PTI has proved that its leadership is not serious with the creation of province. Their political practices have proved that the JPSM leadership consists of opportunists,” he added.

Talking to The News, PML-N Multan district president Bilal Butt said the PML-N had assigned all union council chairmen, vice chairmen, councillors, MNAs, MPAs and party ticket holders to motivate party workers for maximum participation in the public meeting.