MULTAN: Scores of people from various walks of life on Wednesday held a protest rally against the government’s decision to establish the south Punjab secretariat at Bahawalpur instead of Multan.

The participants in the rally gathered under the banner of Tehreek Awaz Multan (TAM) at the residence of Chairman TAM retired Brig Qaisar Ali Mahay located at Bund Bosan. The rally concluded outside the local press club.

Addressing the protesters, Mr Mahay demanded that Multan should be made capital of the south Punjab province.

“Today’s rally is the beginning of the movement and after Muharram we will take tough decisions including blocking the city,” he said.

Mahay said he had requested the people of Multan to not cast their vote to the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf in upcoming local bodies’ election as six MNAs and 12 MPAs [of Multan] badly disappointed the masses over the issue of establishment of the secretariat. He alleged that half of the participants were not allowed to reach the concluding point.

Rana Faraz Noon of Seraikistan Democratic Party said the people of Seraiki Wasaib gathered in the leadership of Mr Mahay and would not sit idle till the achievement of their rights.

Captain Nasir Mahay said the entire [Mahay] clan would try their utmost to achieve rights for Multan.

Malik Niaz Bhutta of Anjuman Tajiran South Punjab said the traders were ready to take any extreme step to achieve their goal to make Multan the capital of the proposed province.

Former president of Lahore High Court Bar Association (Multan Bench), Syed Athar Hussain Shah, said the lawyers’ fraternity of south Punjab stood by Qasam Mahay over the cause.

Published in Dawn, August 20th, 2020