LAHORE: Amid security alerts from the district administration, Pakistan Peoples Party Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari is set to lead an anti-government rally from the provincial metropolis to Faisalabad on Thursday (today) morning.

Bilawal is likely to ride the bullet-proof truck his late mother had been using during her election campaigns.

The rally will start from Bilawal House in Bahria Town. It will make its first stopover at Thokar Niaz Beg motorway interchange where party leaders Naveed Chaudhry and Aitzaz Ahsan are arranging a “breakfast reception” for all the participants at a nearby eatery.

Drummers have also been arranged to entertain the ‘jiyalas’, who love to dance to the tune of drums chanting slogans of ‘Jiay Bhutto.’

Exiting the motorway through Faizpur interchange, the rally will go to Sheikhupura, where the party chairperson will address a public meeting. Two more events have been planned at Nankana Sahib and Shahkot before reaching Faisalabad in the evening.

In response to a written request of the PPP for provision of security to the rally and the leadership, the district administration arranged a special briefing for the party leadership informing them about the likely security threats to the proposed rally.

Police and other security agencies told the PPP representatives that the security situation was not suitable for the event.

The administration rejected the option of using a helicopter for transporting the leadership from Lahore to Sheikhupura and other stopovers en route to Faisalabad.

It promised to do its utmost for providing the security cover to all the participants but warned that the organisers would be solely responsible for any untoward incident if they didn’t cancel the programme.

Meanwhile, a warm-up rally was held here on Wednesday to mobilise party activists for the Thursday show.

Led by Dr Zarrar Yusaf, it started from Green Town and after passing through Township, Kot Lakhpat Industrial Area, Model Town, Ferozpur Road, Canal Road, The Mall and Empress Road ended at the press club, where the participants danced to the tune of drums.

They also chanted anti-government slogans like “go Nawaz go.” Those who spoke to the workers included Abdul Qadir Shaheen, Khalid Butt, Zohaib Butt and Aqib Sarwar.

Published in Dawn, January 19th, 2017