GUJRAT: The local chapter of the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaaf (PTI) has launched preparations for the resumption of party’s long march from Wazirabad on Thursday, Nov 10, where it was postponed in the wake of an attempt on the party chief Imran Khan.

The party chairman had later announced to resume the march on Islamabad from the same point where his convoy came under an attack, leaving him injured.

However, local PTI sources and the administration says the march may be resumed from the town’s Kutchehry Chowk, instead of Zafar Ali Khan Chowk, that was only a few yards away from the scene of the attack.

A senior party official told Dawn the GT Road portion where Imran Khan’s container was parked, had been declared as crime scene and was currently surrounded by the security agencies personnel, so the public gathering would now be held at the Kutchehry Chowk on Wazirabad-Sialkot road. A new container was being prepared under the supervision of senior party leaders to lead the march, they added.

A senior administrative officer says the from Wazirabad the march participants would reach Sialkot where another rally would be held. They may stay in Sialkot for the next couple of days before advancing to Gujrat, he adds.However, he says so far the schedule of the march’s arrival at Gujrat was yet to be finalised as the law enforcement agencies have started making the security arrangements at Wazirabad afresh.

Meanwhile, a meeting of the PTI’s Wazirabad officials was held to review the arrangements at a banquet hall on the GT Road, presided over by its local chapter president Afzal Cheema and attended by various local leaders, including Mustanser Sahi and Mehr Yousaf.

Talking to Dawn, Mr Sahi said the PTI ‘s local leadership had inspected the new site proposed for the Wazirabad rally, assigning duties to the party officials to make it a huge success.

He says the PTI ticket-holder from Wazirabad, Ahmed Chatha, who had been injured in the container attack, is also guiding the local leaders and workers through telephone, so that a massive rally could be staged.

Sahi says the two party workers, who had been injured in the attack, were discharged from the Gujranwala District Headquarter Hospital, adding that a delegation of local party leaders might visit the injured workers on Wednesday (today).

Published in Dawn, November 9th, 2022