PPP workers booked for storming into Multan's Qila Qasim Bagh ahead of PDM rally

Nov 29, 2020

Multan [Pakistan], November 29 : The Police filed a case against the workers of the Pakistan Peoples Party workers for breaking through security barriers set up by the disgruntled Imran Khan government and stormed into Multan's Qila Qasim Bagh on Saturday ahead of the Pakistan Democratic Movement rally which is to take place on Monday.
According to Geo News, the party workers were able to storm into the stadium despite a heavy police contingent being deployed there following which clashes broke out between the party workers and the law enforcement agencies.
Their workers have taken control of the administration of the stadium and have also set up a welcoming camp outside, the Party media cell said. Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz workers led a rally in Multan and also entered the stadium after it was broken into, the media outlet reported.
"The rally will be held in Qila Qasim Bagh (at every cost). Today all the barriers of the police and administration have been broken down. After storming the gates, we have taken control of the stadium," PPP leader Musa Gilani said.
Geo News further reported that the police have registered a case against 70 named and more than 300 unnamed party workers for breaking off locks and forcing their way into the stadium at the Multan's Lohari Gate police station.
The police also filed a case against caterers who had agreed to provide services to the organisers of the November 30 rally.
PPP chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari issued a warning to the federal government 'to desist from carrying out a crackdown' against PPP workers in Multan "otherwise there will be protests in every nook and corner of the country," as per a party statement.
The PPP chairman further slammed the government saying that the PTI government is initiating a crackdown against party workers to "create hurdles" in the PPP's Foundation Day and the PDM rally.
"Misuse of the state machinery against democratic workers will add fuel to the fire and every responsibility of the situation thereafter would lay on the PTI regime," read the statement.
Bilawal said that the Foundation Day rally will be held "anyhow" and PPP and other PDM parties "won't be cowed down by the highhandedness of the regime".
PPP's Ali Qasim Gilani, the chief coordinator of the scheduled event, said that the "rally had to take place on November 30 but has already begun today because of the administration's moves".
"We had sought to set up a welcoming camp today and so we proceeded to make preparations... But the police are harassing us. All roads leading to the venue have been blocked," Gilani said.
Pakistan Federal Information Minister Shibli Faraz has threatened Opposition leaders that first information reports (FIRs) will be registered against them if they participate in the Pakistan Democratic Movement ( PDM) rally.
Eleven political parties have joined hands to form a new multi-party alliance under the banner of the Pakistan Democratic Movement against the government of Imran Khan.
The Minister criticised the opposition for boycotting a meeting of the parliamentary committee on the country's worsening COVID-19 situation and threatened to take legal action against them.