LAHORE: The leadership of Pakistan People’s Party and Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid will separately hold consultative meetings this week to decide whether or not to join Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf’s Raiwind march on Sept 30.

“PPP chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari has called me and other party leaders to Karachi on Monday to discuss the PTI’s invitation about joining the Raiwind march,” PPP secretary general Sardar Latif Khosa told Dawn on Sunday.

He said the PPP morally supported the PTI’s anti-corruption campaign on the Panamagate issue, but the decision to participate in its Raiwind march would be taken this week by Mr Bilawal after discussing the matter with party leaders.

The PPP had made a token participation in the PTI’s Lahore rally earlier this month, but later distanced itself after PTI chief Imran Khan announced holding a rally outside the Jati Umra (Raiwind) residence of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.

The PPP is now showing flexibility after the PTI announced a change in the venue of the march from Jati Umra to Adda Plot, about 5km from the prime minister’s residence.

“Raiwind is not the property of the Sharif family. We are opposed to laying siege to anyone’s house, but everybody has the right to protest in Raiwind or elsewhere,” Mr Khosa said and cautioned the government not to consider stopping the PTI march through the PML-N workers or police as it might have disastrous consequences.

“The PML-N government will be responsible for the consequences, like the one being sent packing, if it uses force to stop protesters,” he said.

The PPP leader advised Maryam Nawaz, daughter of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, not to use harsh language against politicians like Imran Khan.

“Calling Mr Khan an ‘unemployed and idle man’ is not worthy of the PM’s daughter. Such attitude will lead to more bickering between the government and the opposition,” he said.

Meanwhile, Chaudhry Shujaat Husain and Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi of the PML-Q will consult other party leaders this week to respond to the PTI’s invitation for joining its march.

“The PML-Q leadership will meet this week and decide whether to take part in the Raiwind march,” PML-Q information secretary Senator Kamil Ali Agha told Dawn.

The PML-Q had participated in the PTI’s Lahore rally on Sept 3 and was also on the forefront in its 2014 Islamabad sit-in.

Although the PTI says it will also invite Dr Tahirul Qadri’s Pakistan Awami Tehreek, Mr Qadri has already distanced himself from it, saying his party workers might besiege the prime minister’s residence because their emotions were running high over the killing of 14 PAT workers.

Meanwhile, Punjab Law Minister Rana Sanuallah said the government would provide security to the people participating in the PTI march.

Published in Dawn September 19th, 2016