PESHAWAR: The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on Thursday decided it would celebrate the imminent August as the independence month in the province by involving its workers at the provincial, districts and tehsils levels.

It also criticised Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf chief Imran Khan for trying to destabilise the democratically-elected federal government and urged him to focus his attention on the development of the province ruled by his party, resolve issues democratically and within parliament.

The PML-N provincial and district office-bearers met at the party’s secretariat in Peshawar.

Noted among those in attendance were PML-N central leader Engineer Amir Muqam, provincial president Pir Sabir Shah, general secretary Rehmat Salam Khattak.

Announces August to be celebrated as month of independence

The meeting decided that the independence month celebrations would start on August 1 and would last until August 14 and that sports events, processions, public meetings, seminars, cake cutting ceremonies, and cycle, motorcycle and tonga races would be part of them.

Later, Pir Sabir Shah told a news conference at the Peshawar Press Club that the main flag hoisting function as part of the independence month celebrations would be held in Islamabad, which could be watched directly on big screens at tehsil and district levels in the province.

He said the party would make efforts to involve the maximum number of the people in the independence month celebrations to educate the people on the importance of independence.

Criticising Imran Khan for speaking against the democratically-elected government, the PML-N leader said the PTI leader should show patience and focus his attention on development of the province for popularity.

He asked Imran Khan to show seriousness and resolve issues democratically and within parliament instead of agitating.

“It’s an unwise move on part of the PTI to take the people to the streets,” he said, adding that the step would be subversive.

Sabir Shah said the country was not in a position to afford further destabilisation and that what the PTI was doing would harm the interests of the country.

He said on the evening of Aug 13, a candlelight vigil would be arranged in memory of those who had rendered their lives in the ongoing war against terrorism and that members of civil society and people from different walks of life would be invited.

He said on Aug 14, the PML-N workers in various group would visit door to door at districts level and convey message to people while marking the party the main flag-hoisting ceremony in Islamabad on the Independence Day.

“There is a dire need of hour to show national unity and solidarity amid the growing internal and external challenges, being confronted the country. Conspiracies are being hatched to divide the nation in the name of race, colour and faith,” he said.

The PML-N leader said the country had been created on basis of the two-nation theory, and its solidarity and unity was needed for durable peace and stability.

He, however, said some forces were trying to harm national unity and solidarity but the PML-N won’t let such attempts succeed.

Published in Dawn, July 25th , 2014