No PML-N worker arrested: minister

LAHORE:Provincial Law Minister Muhammad Basharat Raja on Friday said that a baseless propaganda was being spread by the Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) about the arrest of the party workers and hurdles created by the government prior to the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) public gathering in Gujranwala.

Addressing a press conference here, the minister said there was no reality in propaganda of arrest of PML-N workers in Lahore or Gujranwala, adding that no hurdle was created by the government from Lahore to Gujranwala. He said the PDM was allowed to stage public gathering in Jinnah Stadium, Gujranwala on its request.

They, initially were requested to delay the gathering owing to the COVID-19 situation as they should have demonstrated maturity on national issue, he said adding that the PDM had assured in written, implementation of SOPs at its gathering, to the district administration. They also had agreed that the government may take action in case of SOPs violations. On instruction of Chief Minister Sardar Usman Buzdar, he said the district health authorities had been asked to provide masks and hand sanitizers to people of Gujranwala.

Against the claims of the PDM leadership of a historic public participation in Gujranwala, he said that if social distancing was observed at the place of gathering maximum of 20,000 people could sit there and with such a thin public gathering, the PDM leadership was thinking to threaten the government but it was day-dreaming.

He mentioned that PTI likeminded MPA Ashraf Ansari and Younas Ansari also wanted to organise a public gathering the same day in Gujranwala but the government requested them to delay it due to COVID-19 situation and that the government did not want to create such a situation that may trigger the atmosphere. He said the government was not in any threat by the opposition’s protest movement as the government would continue to serve the masses. He stressed the need to adopt COVID-19 SOPs as the threat of the virus was not yet over.