PESHAWAR: Pakistan Peoples Party has rejected the ban on its foundation day public meeting scheduled for November 30 in Peshawar and asked its workers to defy all restrictions and reach the venue at all costs to make the event a success.

Addressing a press conference at her residence here on Monday, PPP central deputy information secretary Asma Arbab Alamgir said that her party had decided to hold the foundation day public meeting at Kabootar Chowk on Ring Road despite the ban.

Flanked by PPP provincial president Najamuddin Khan, provincial general secretary Amjad Afridi and deputy information secretary Tahir Abbas, she said that the dismissal of PPP’s application for seeking permission to hold the public meeting reflected the dictatorial behaviour of the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf government.

“We believed PTI was a democratic political party but it proved that its’ leaders mindset was totally dictatorial,” said Ms Alamgir. She said that in case of any attempt to arrest or detain the PPP workers, they would react and the entire responsibility of any untoward incident would rest with the provincial government.

She criticised Prime Minister Imran Khan for what she called neglecting Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in developmental schemes. She said that no mega uplift project was launched in the province.

Speaking on the occasion, Najamuddin Khan claimed that his party had planned to bring maximum people to prove its strength in the November 30 public meeting.

He said that preparations were under way and PPP chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari would be given warm welcome on the occasion.

Meanwhile, Peoples Youth Organisation provincial president Sami Khan during a separate press conference at Peshawar Press Club on Monday also urged PYO members of to ensure their participation in the public meeting.

Flanked by other office-bearers of PYO including Ziaullah Jan, Irfan Afridi and Nadir Musazai, he said that it was the foundation day of their party event and imposing ban on it was undemocratic.

He said that PYO would strongly react in case police created any hurdle to participants of the public meeting.

Published in Dawn, November 16th, 2021