December 19, 2006	Tuesday	Ziqa'ad 27, 1427

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MULTAN, Dec 18: A large number of government servants were made to attend the public meeting addressed by President Pervez Musharraf at the Khanewal Public School on Monday.

Authorities had asked staff of federal and provincial departments in Khanewal and nearby districts to make it to the venue where their attendance would be marked by their heads at 10am.

Railways staff from different parts of Punjab were also brought to Khanewal.

No refreshments were available for those brought from the other areas. Even potable water was not available. The misery of hungry and thirsty participants was compounded when police did not allow them to leave the venue and buy some eatables.

Security personnel manned all gates. People could only enter the venue but they had no exit.

A union nazim said the Khanewal district nazim had told union nazims to bring more and more people. He said he had threatened them with dire consequences in case of their failure to bring the required number of people.

A female teacher said that her four school going children were alone at home while the other said that she left her children in her mother’s house. All the staff of the revenue department was also present at the venue.

Proceedings of the meeting ended with the speech of the president at 4:15pm. He addressed for around 45 minutes.

A man tried to give his application to the president while he was addressing. Security personnel stopped him but the president asked them to take the application from him.

When the president said during his speech that the price of 40kg of wheat was Rs415, the chief minister rose from his chair and told the president that the price of 40kg of wheat was Rs450.

People were not allowed to bring cigarettes to the venue while federal parliamentary minister Raza Hayat came while smoking.