PPP resents district admin’s refusal to allow Bilawal’s public meeting in Peshawar

PESHAWAR: Senator Robina Khalid of the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) on Tuesday termed the denial of the permission to the party to hold a public meeting at the Malik Tehmas Khan Stadium a pre-poll rigging and asked the Election Commission of Pakistan to take note of the issue.

The PPP had planned to hold a public meeting at the stadium tomorrow (Thursday) which was likely to be addressed by the party Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari. It had asked the district administration to give the party permission for the purpose. But the administration refused to grant permission to PPP for the planned public meeting in connection with the electioneering for the July 25 general election.

It instead asked the party to hold the public meeting in an open area on the Dilazak Road. Speaking at a press conference in the Peshawar Press Club, the senator termed the decision of the district administration not to allow the PPP to hold a public at the stadium a conspiracy.

She said other political parties were given the permission to hold a public meeting there except for the PPP, which she termed double standards of the district administration.

“The administration has refused to allow the PPP to hold its public meeting at the stadium. The administration informed us that holding a public meeting at the stadium is against the policy of the Election Commission. It is a vague explanation,” she said. Senator Robina Khalid complained that the area where the party had been issued no objection certificate (NOC) for holding the public meeting was not safe.

“The district administration and Directorate of Sports would be held responsible if any untoward incident occurred during our public meeting or our party chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari is harmed,” she warned.

Senator Robina Khalid warned of launching a protest campaign if any other party was granted the permission to hold a public meeting at the stadium during the ongoing campaign for forthcoming general elections. To a question, she said hurdles were being created in the elections, adding every tactic was being used for this purpose.

Senator Robina Khalid said placing the names of PPP Co-Chairman Asif Ali Zardari and his sister Faryal Talpur on the Exit Control List would fail to affect the PPP’s election campaign.