RAWALPINDI: Fearing further arrests, the Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) has asked its workers to remain in hiding, as some 30 party activists were arrested from Rawalpindi on Thursday morning.

The party is also feeling ‘neglected’ by the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf, which is leading its own Azadi March to the federal capital.

“The local administration has not launched a crackdown against PTI, but they are still booking PAT workers. More than ten workers have been picked up by police from Kahuta Road, while others were arrested from Soan Bridge,” PAT Rawalpindi Spokesperson Suhail Abbasi told Dawn.

The party’s Rawalpindi and Islamabad chapters started making separate arrangements for the Inquilab March after the PTI declined to bring PAT Chief Dr Tahirul Qadri along with them in their march towards Islamabad.

“The PAT leadership has expressed resentment over that fact that they got ‘no lift’ from Imran Khan before starting the Azadi March. A message was conveyed to the local chapter to make arrangements for a separate show in Islamabad. However, a final decision on a joint public meeting will be announced before reaching Islamabad,” Abbasi said.

He said that PAT has a different vision of revolution. “The party wants to change everything that is wrong with the electoral and governance systems before the next elections, but PTI wants to wait until after fresh elections are held.”

PTI District President MPA Arif Abbasi told Dawn that PTI was preparing to accord a warm welcome to the Azadi March. He said that PTI workers had personally removed all the containers between Faizabad and Aabpara and marchers from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa had also arrived in the capital.

He said he was not in contact with PAT leaders as he was “too busy” making arrangements for their own show. “If they come, they will be welcomed and provided a seat to listen to our leaders’ views,” he said.

Law enforcement personnel spent Thursday awaiting the participants of the Azadi March. While PTI workers remained on the roads, showing full patriotic enthusiasm, different rallies came to Faizabad on Murree Road from different areas, which would join the main procession at Faizabad.

Published in Dawn, August 15th, 2014