LAHORE: The PML-Q has started mobilising its workers across Punjab to reach Islamabad on Nov 2 in spite of hurdles being created by the PML-N government.

A consultative meeting of the party provincial legislators, ticket-holders, office-bearers and senior workers was held at the Muslim League House here on Thursday with Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi in the chair.

Mr Elahi instructed them to mobilise the workers in their respective districts and finalise a strategy to reach Islamabad.

He asked them to hold sit-in on the points where they were stopped from proceeding to their destination. He was of the view that the entire province would be ‘locked’ if the N-League government used police to arrest the workers.

Although the PML-Q leadership has not set a specific target for the district presidents for bringing workers to the capital, they have been asked to put up a good show on the eventful day.

The participants were enthusiastic and optimistic that their protest would bear fruition as the prime minister would have either to resign or present himself for accountability.

“I warn the government not to think about using police to stop the workers from reaching Islamabad. This step will be counter-effective and cause blocking of the entire country eventually,” he said.

Mr Elahi, who has recently been elected PML-Q Punjab president unopposed, confirmed that two religious parties - Sunni Ittehad Council and Majlis-i-Wahdatul Muslimeen - had agreed to participate in the Nov 2 sit-in.

Dispelling the impression that democracy has any threat from the Islamabad sit-in, he said: “Our protest will be peaceful. In fact Pakistan has a threat from the rulers. Tension on the borders and attacks in Balochistan show that the rulers and Indian premier Narendra Modi are on the same page.”

PML-Q Punjab organising committee chief Basharat Raja told Dawn that the PML-N government had got unnerved and started a crackdown on political activists. “Our workers will hold sit-in in every district if police tried to stop them from reaching Islamabad,” he said, adding the workers from Rawalpindi, Jhelum, Attock and Chakwal would meet him on Friday (today) and finalise a strategy to reach Islamabad.

PML-Q parliamentary leader in Punjab Assembly Moonis Elahi, Anwar Bhindar, Ahmad Yar Hiraj, Tariq Bashir Cheema, Chaudhry Zaheeruddin, Dr Azeemudin Zahid, Imran Masood, Tariq Sadiq, Waqas Hasan Mokal and Amer Sultan Cheema were also present in the meeting.

Published in Dawn, October 28th, 2016