May 10, 2007	Thursday	Rabi-us-Sani 22, 1428

ISLAMABAD, May 9: All government departments and ministries have been directed to ensure maximum participation in the first- ever rally that President Pervez Musharraf is to address in the city on May 12.

Several sources told Dawn on Wednesday that the directive suggested the task should be achieved with the help of the trade union Combined Bargaining Agent in the departments.

Besides providing fool-proof security on the occasion, the local administration zhas orders not to hinder people arriving from the Punjab and NWFP to participate in the rally.

These instructions reflect rather poorly on the ability and popularity of the ruling Pakistan Muslim League which is holding the rally to express solidarity with President Musharraf who is facing a sustained opposition onslaught these days.

It is no coincidence that the pro-Musharraf rally is being held the same day that anti-Musharraf lawyers in Sindh will be holding a convention in Karachi where the suspended Chief Justice of Pakistan will be the chief guest.

The sources said that government machinery was being used to make the Islamabad rally a great success.

According to the programme, the PML rally will start from China Chowk, Blue Area, and terminate at the Parade Ground in front of the Parliament House where it will turn into a public meeting. Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz and members of the federal cabinet will also take part in the rally.

Canopies have already been erected at the meeting place by the Capital Development Authority, which has orders to provide water and shelter to the participants of the rally at the Parade Ground.

A senior official of the local administration quoted the organisers as saying that over 200,000 people will attend the rally and the administration should arrange shade and water for them.

According to a press release issued by Tahir Mehmood Khan, spokesman for Rawalpindi administration, Punjab Chief Minister Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi will lead a rally from Rawalpindi to join the main rally in Islamabad.

The local government spokesman urged traders community and general public to attend the rally to express their support to President Musharraf.

Our correspondent from Taxila adds: The Pakistan Muslim League (PML) leadership has asked the union council nazims to bring at least 300 people from their respective areas to Islamabad to take part in the rally being organised by the party in support of President Gen Pervez Musharraf.

The ruling party parliamentarians as well as PML office- bearers are organising meetings of the UC nazims, naib nazims and councillors to finalise a strategy to mobilise people for the May 12 rally and seek assurance from them that they would bring the required number of people to make the event a success.

The UC nazims and naib nazims are being told that they would be provided vehicles from the party fund to bring people to Islamabad from their respective areas.

In Taxila tehsil, Federal Minister Ghulam Sarwar Khan and his younger brother Siddique Khan, who is tehsil nazim as well as general secretary of the party in the district, are holding meetings with the union council nazims whereas in Hassanabdal, Attock District Nazim Maj (retired) Tahir Sadiq and Tehsil Nazim Shafqat Khan are urging the UC nazims and party activists to bring maximum number of the people to the rally.

Sources said the government and ruling party leaders in a bid to dismiss the impression that the opposition is getting maximum support from the public is organising the rally to show their bosses that majority of the people are with the government and support the president’s action against Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammed Chaudhry.

“Yes we have been given the target to bring about 7,000 people from Taxila and its adjoining areas to Islamabad,” party sources told this correspondent.

They said about 3,000 people would be brought from Taxila city, 2,000 from cantonment areas and 2,000 from PP-7 (Chakri) under the leadership of Ghulam Sarwar Khan.

The Attock district nazim has been asked to arrange 5,000 people from Hassanabdal.

Sources said the ruling party had planned to assemble about half a million people in Islamabad on May 12 in support of President Pervez Musharraf.

Sources said the state machinery, especially the administration, police and revenue departments, were given a special task to make the rally in Islamabad a success.

However they were asked not to bring government servants, especially local government employees, to the rally.

They were also directed by the party highups not to impound public transport vehicles but hire transport through negotiations.

Party sources said this time they did not want to give the impression that state power was used to arrange public transport for its political procession. They added that the funds for bringing supporters to the rally and making other arrangements would be provided by the party leadership.

The PML would meet the expenses of the rally on self-help basis, they added.