RAWALPINDI: The Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) used a novel method to mobilise supporters on Sunday morning by using a helicopter to disperse pamphlets ahead of the party’s rain-soaked public meeting in Liaquat Bagh.

The pamphlets contained a response to former prime minister Nawaz Sharif’s repeated question during his GT Road rally from Islamabad to Lahore: ‘Why was I disqualified by the Supreme Court?’.

The party hired a private helicopter after obtaining permission from the district administration to distribute the pamphlets by air. However, the party specifically applied for permission to advertise Imran Khan’s public rally, and made no mention of a response to the ousted prime minister’s rhetorical question.

Sheikh Rashid’s loyalists outnumbered by PTI supporters at Liaquat Bagh

In the pamphlets, the party maintains that Mr Sharif was disqualified for possessing an Aqama (UAE work permit), not corruption.

The material distributed lists 10 reasons for the disqualification, including looting of taxpayer money, setting up of offshore companies for assets, lying to parliament and the people on the Panama Papers leak, and submitting fake documents to the Supreme Court.

According to PTI MPA Arif Abbasi, it was PTI General Secretary Jahangir Tareen’s idea to distribute the pamphlets before the start of the public meeting.

The event was announced by Awami Muslim League chief Sheikh Rashid Ahmed, but PTI made all the arrangements for the stage, as well as setting up multimedia systems at the venue.

“It is PTI’s effort to appease Sheikh Rashid Ahmed, who was not happy with Imran Khan’s decision not to vote for him (Mr Ahmed) in the election for the prime minister. The party nominated and voted for Sheikh Rashid, but Imran Khan did not turn up,” said a senior PTI leader.

Inclement weather

Meanwhile, the rain that lashed the garrison city on Sunday evening created several problems for participants of the rally, because PTI had not made any alternate arrangements, despite wet weather being forecast.

It was PTI workers that dominated the crowd at the public meeting, and party workers and supporters arrived from all seven tehsils of Rawalpindi.

The presence of AML workers was limited. On Murree Road and Liaquat Bagh, banners and streamers installed by PTI also overpowered AML hoardings. However, there were some banners with pictures of Sheikh Rashid Ahmed in and around the College Road area, and along the road to Lal Haveli.

Despite the rain, women participants remained in Liaquat Bagh, with most people taking shelter from the rain in nearby shopping plazas, but their numbers swelled following the arrival of local leaders.

Published in Dawn, August 14th, 2017