Govt-PDM face-off on Multan rally intensifies

MULTAN: The city district administration has placed containers across Qila Qasim Bagh stadium, where the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) meeting is scheduled for Monday (Nov 30), The News has learnt.

Pakistan People’s Party Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said in his twitter message that “fascist government continues to arrest democratic workers in Multan and blocking public places by placing containers.

“No one can stop PPP from celebrating its founding day with the PDM leaders on Nov 30”, he said. “These puppets are scared of jiyalas,” he added. Containers have been placed to bar the PDM from holding a rally as the deputy commissioner had banned the event, an official told The News.

Thirty-two containers have been placed in the first phase, while more will be placed later on as per need, to prevent any sort of entry into the meeting place, officials added. Five roads leading to the PDM meeting venue may be filled with containers.

The routes include Daulat Gate upward via shrine Hazrat Bahauddin Zakariyia, from Chowk Ghantha Ghar to meeting venue via shrine Hazrat Rukin-e-Alam, the third route starting from Chowk Hussain Agahi to meeting venue, the fourth route starting from Water Works Road to meeting venue via Haj Complex and the fifth route is municipal library to PDM meeting place.

On the other hand, the PDM announced the meeting would take place at any cost, through alternative plans. Former prime minister Yusuf Raza Gilani said Nov-30 PDM meeting would be held at any cost. He said Aseefa Bhutto Zardari could surprise the participants with her presence at the meeting.

Gilani said that Nov-30 is PPP's founding day and Bilawal Bhutto would not be able to participate in the meeting physically, being infected with coronavirus. He said sarcastically that Prime Minister Imran Khan fulfilled his promise of giving containers in such a way that all roads leading to the PDM meeting venue had been blocked with them.

He asked if only PDM was bound to follow the law. Workers were being arrested from their houses, he alleged. PPP Multan City President Abida Bukhari said the PDM public meeting in city would prove the last nail in the coffin of the selected rulers.

She said that there were still many days left in the meeting, but the selected rulers were under immense stress. She said cases were being registered against the PPP workers and their arrests were being made by the government.