Dist admin warns PML-N against holding rally in Mansehra

MANSEHRA: The district administration on Tuesday warned the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) to abide by its order of not holding the public meeting, or else it would be considered as breach of law.

“In light of current alarming situation of coronavirus in the district where its positivity ratio has jumped to an highest ever of 9 percent, holding of public gathering may be an open initiative to spread this pandemic,” Dr Qasim Ali Khan, the deputy commissioner told president of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz local officer-bearers here. The meeting, which was attended among others by the district president of PML-N Zafar Mahmood and District Police Officer Sadiq Baloch, discussed the Covid-19 situation in detail. Dr Qasim Ali Khan pointed out that in the current situation where coronavirus was rapidly spreading, the administration couldn’t allow the PML-N to hold a public meeting today. He made it clear the district administration didn’t grant the PML-N permission to hold the public gathering. “And if this gathering is organised, it would be considered as illegal and subsequently no security and traffic measures would be put in place,” he added.

The PML-N told the meeting that the district administration should have informed them at least three days earlier. “Now all preparations have been finalised and the rally can’t be postponed,” he added. Meanwhile, PML-N senior vice-president Sardar Mohammad Yousaf has also warned the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government against any ‘misadventure’ of creating hurdles in the way of the public gathering. “We would thwart any misadventure if carried out by the government to restrict our historic gathering here for which all the necessary preparations are already finalised,” Yousaf told reporters.