LAHORE, Nov 6: The Alliance for Restoration of Democracy (ARD) will hold a series of rallies in the current month to protest against the arrest of alliance president Javed Hashmi.

A joint meeting of the ARD’s Punjab and Lahore office-bearers held here on Thursday decided that the first such rally would be held in Lahore on Nov 19, the second in Faisalabad on Nov 20, the third in Multan on Nov 21, while the fourth would be held in Sheikhupura. Its date will be announced later.

Briefing newsmen about the decision, ARD provincial chief Qasim Zia said that central leaders of the alliance would also participate in the rallies.

He said it had also been decided that ARD constituent parties would participate in all rallies and demonstrations to be organized by the PML-N against Mr Hashmi’s arrest at any level.

The meeting had also adopted resolutions demanding release of Hashmi and PPP leader Asif Zardari.

Through another resolution, the meeting demanded that the government should shortly announce a relief package to save the masses from rising graphs of prices and unemployment.

Yet another resolution asked Gen Pervez Musharraf to restore all the constitutional clauses being kept suspended so far.

PML-N’s Punjab general secretary Khwaja Saad Rafiq regretted that the government had begun openly bullying the opposition.

He said the government through a ‘disinformation’ campaign was maligning Mr Hashmi by saying that he was launching a drive against the army.

Answering a question, Mr Zia said the central leadership had not yet directed them to resign from standing committees of the provincial assembly.

However, he said if the ARD Nov 15 meeting took a decision in this regard, they would abide by it.