GUJRAT: The ruling Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) plans to hold a public meeting in Hafizabad after the prime minister reportedly approved the plan of going to public in response to the Pakistan Democratic Movement’s (PDM) rallies in different parts of the country.

Shaukat Bhatti, a PTI MNA, will host the Hafizabad public meeting. He told Dawn by telephone on Sunday that Imran Khan would address the rally on Nov 7, for which preparations had begun.

He said the premier would lay the foundation stone of the University of Hafizabad before speaking to the public.

Ijaz Chaudhry, the president of Punjab PTI, the mover of this idea, said the PM’s visit to Hafizabad was confirmed, but his address to the public meeting would be confirmed on Monday (today).

First rally to be held in Hafizabad on 7th; PML-N leader says govt has panicked

He said in case Mr Khan did not make an address, the public meeting would still go ahead.

He said Mr Khan would also announce the construction of a 400-bed hospital in Hafizabad.

In reply to a question, Mr Chaudhry said the public meeting was not meant to counter the PDM rallies. “We are holding it since we feel that we should go to public in current circumstances.”

However, sources in the PTI said the PM had approved the proposal floated by Mr Chaudhry to hold public meetings in response to the opposition’s events. Hafizabad was selected for the maiden rally as the party had clinched three (the lone National Assembly and two out of three Punjab Assembly) seats from the district in the last general election.

Analysts say Hafizabad is quite close to Gujranwala where the PDM held its maiden public meeting on Oct 16 and the ruling party wants to feel the public pulse.

Asked about the threat of spread of Covid-19 as a result of the public gathering, MNA Bhatti said the standard operating procedures (SOPs) would be followed at the venue by wearing face masks and social distancing would be ensured through laying chairs at a proper distance.

The Hafizabad public meeting, he said, would be bigger than the PDM Gujranwala rally in terms of participation of public as the people of Hafizabad were grateful to the PTI government and Imran Khan for approving the establishment of a university and provision of relief through financial assistance during the lockdown.

Mr Bhatti said he would personally bear all expenditure of the public meeting and there would be no use of state machinery to bring the people to the venue. The media would itself observe the biggest gathering in the town while there would be no pressure on government employees to attend the event, he added.

The government had earlier lodged cases against the PDM leaders and lawmakers on the charge of causing the spread of coronavirus by not ensuring implementation of SOPs at the Gujranwala meeting.

MNA Abid Raza, the president of PML-N Gujranwala division, said the plan of holding public meetings in response to the opposition’s movement showed that the government had panicked. Now the entire system including the “selected and the selectors” would have to go as the system was collapsing due to poor economic conditions, inflation, unemployment, bad governance and failure of the rulers to deliver, he added.

He said ensuring presence of public at the Hafizabad public meeting was not a difficult task for the government, but there would be no enthusiasm comparable to the turnout at the PDM’s rally at Gujranwala.

Published in Dawn, November 2nd, 2020