MULTAN, July 12: At least 30 activists of various component political parties of the Alliance for the Restoration of Democracy (ARD) were arrested as the government thwarted their bid to hold a public meeting here on Friday.
The alliance wanted to hold the meeting at busy Ghanta Ghar Chowk to reject the proposed NRE-sponsored amendments in the constitution. The Multan district government had given an NOC to ARD to organize its public meeting at the venue of its choice.
However, the Punjab chief secretary, home secretary and IGP were in the town on Thursday who cancelled the Multan government permission to ARD to hold the meeting at Ghanta Ghar after consulting local officials of the administration.
The provincial government was of the view that holding public meeting at a busy city square might create law and order problem. Instead, it asked the ARD to hold its rally at Qasim Bagh stadium.
The ARD leadership refused to change the venue of the meeting. At this, the local police closed all the roads that led to the Ghanta Ghar Chowk early in the morning and deputed contingents to debar any political worker from entering the cordoned area.
At afternoon, some 20 workers of the ARD stage-committee managed to reach the Ghanta Ghar Chowk to do arrangements for the public meeting scheduled to be held in the evening. But police reached there and arrested nine people, including three women. The arrested were identified as Nasir Qureshi, Tariq Raza Khan, Sohail Butt, Bilal Butt, Muneer Akhtar Langah, Sultana Shaheen, Shaheen Shafiq and Begum Gulzar Rashed.
Later on, the ARD activists started sporadic efforts to sneak into the cordoned area but police thwarted their bids every time. During this hide and seek, at least 21 more political activists were arrested. They were Imran Liaquat, Malik Asad, Shaheed Ahmed, Rao Sajid Ali, Haji Akram Ansari, Rana Shahid, Sharifullah Khan, Shahid Mehmood, Rauf Lodhi, Sardar Azam, Begum Shama Awan, Zarina, Najma, Khalila Mukhtar, Begum B A Jigar and others.
ARD chief Nawabzada Nasrullah Khan and other leaders were prevented from heading towards the venue at Kutchery Chowk by the police. Later, the ARD chief addressed a press conference at local press club and condemned the government for not allowing ARD to hold the meeting at the scheduled place.
He demanded resignation of Gen Musharraf and an interim government of national consensus to hold free and fair general elections in October. He said the ARD would reject ‘transparent and fair’ elections held under the junta as was the April 30 referendum. He demanded withdrawal of proposed amendments in he constitution saying ‘only the elected representatives of people have right to amend the constitution’.
The police have detained the arrested political workers at various local police station. At some places, the ARD workers also burnt used tyres to protest against the government.
Tracing history of the political adventures of military in Pakistan, ARD chief said the generals had developed a fondness for power since a uniformed officer was made defence minister of the country in 1954.
“Induction of a serving general to the cabinet injected a realisation in the top military brass that they were the source of power in Pakistan,” he maintained.
He said what could be the strongest evidence of the military might in the country than that a government employee was heading the country.
He said even the president of America was accountable but here there would be no check on the ‘general’. “Only a courageous person will accept the portfolio of prime minister in the given conditions,” he added.
He said the military adventures had always wanted to concentrate all powers into themselves by acquiring taste to subvert the constitution. He said Gen Musharraf held 23 public rallies in connection with his referendum campaign even though there was no one contesting against him. But when it came to political parties opposing the junta all types of restrictions and ban had been activated.
MULTAN, July 12: At least 30 activists of various component political parties of the Alliance for the Restoration of Democracy (ARD) were arrested as the government thwarted their bid to hold a public meeting here on Friday.
