RAWALPINDI: The Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) in the twin cities of Rawalpindi and Islamabad has started preparations to hold a public gathering at D-Chowk a day before voting on the no-trust motion in National Assembly.

On the other hand, the opposition Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) have also asked their workers in Rawalpindi and Islamabad to be ready for coming to the federal capital.

PTI central office administrator Zahid Kazmi told Dawn that MNAs from Rawalpindi and Islamabad met Prime Minister Imran Khan on Saturday afternoon and the latter constituted a four-member committee led by Federal Minister for Planning Asad Umar to arrange the public meeting at D-Chowk.

“The public meeting will be held a day before the voting on the no-trust motion in National Assembly,” he said.

PM forms four-member committee during meeting with MNAs

Mr Kazmi claimed that it was the demand of the local leaders and workers that PTI Chairman Imran Khan should hold a public meeting in the area as he did in Lower Dir and other areas.

He said that all lawmakers from Islamabad and Rawalpindi division had been directed to bring workers to the public meeting and make it successful like the one held in Lahore in 2011.

He said that committees had been formed to make arrangements for the public meeting.

But some local party workers were worried how to convince people to attend the public gathering of the ruling party when inflation had made their lives miserable.

They said due to wrong policies of the PTI government, people were raising questions about its inability to check inflation and surge in prices of essential items. They said the party leaders were not sure whether workers and supporters had been asked for a public meeting or sit-in in front of Parliament House.

On the other hand, PTI former MPA and district organising committee member Arif Abbasi said the party had started work to hold the public gathering in front of Parliament House.

He said the PTI would manage to gather more than 300,000 people from Rawalpindi division and Islamabad if all party leaders and lawmakers worked for it within a few days.

“There is a target for each union council chapter of the party to bring 100 people. There are 70 union councils in Rawalpindi city while the tehsil organisations have been asked to bring a maximum number of people,” he said.

On the other hand, the PML-N has also started working to take their workers to the federal capital if the party gives a call. “We are ready and our workers and supporters will reach Islamabad if the party leadership gives a call to gather in front of Parliament House,” said a senior party leader.

However, PML-N MNA Tahira Aurangzeb said the party would not bring its workers on the voting day on the no-trust motion and we would call them after ouster of the the ‘selected’ prime minister. “There is no need to gather people as we already have won the no-trust move,” she claimed.

Published in Dawn, March 13th, 2022