LAHORE: Amid strict security measures taken to secure Pakistan Awami Teheerk’s public meeting at Minar-i-Pakistan on Sunday, a minor clash broke out between two groups of participants over some petty issue.

The city police also wrote a letter to the party leadership complaining of ‘non-cooperation’ on part of its activists with regard to the event’s security agreements, refusing to accept responsibility in case of any untoward incident.

Though some 3,000 police officials were deployed inside and around the venue for security of thousands of participants, police officers complained the PAT leadership skipped placement of containers and timely deployment of their volunteers at various spots.

A senior police official said the code of conduct agreed upon by the both sides was also violated, alleging the event organisers even did not follow the route security protocol sought by Dr Tahirul Qadri.

He said the three-layer security arrangements were made at four entry-exit points at the venue. The official said three SPs with the help of 12 SHOs guarded the meeting venue and several police vehicles kept patrolling the Azadi Chowk area.

He said police intervened into a quarrel that broke out between members of two groups of participants before Mr Qadri’s arrival. The groups, he said, attacked each other with plastic chairs, but police managed to mediate between them.

Published in Dawn, October 20th, 2014