KARACHI, Mar 23: The Pakistan People’s Party has condemned the arrest of its leaders and workers in Lahore and for allowing them to hold a Pakistan Day public meeting at Mochi Gate.

Demanding immediate release of all those hauled up during raids, the party flayed the Karachi administration and the Sindh government for not allowing the party workers to even visit the mausoleum of the Quaid-i-Azam to pay homage to the Father of the Nation on Pakistan Day.

Terming it a continuation of pre-September 11 policy of patronising rightwing religious parties, the PPP acting secretary general, Raza Rabbani, said despite its tall claims of pursuing liberal democratic policies, the government had been creating obstacles for liberal parties, particularly the PPP by not allowing them to hold meetings and other political activities while other parties, including Jamat-i-Islami, were free to carry out political activities. The JI, he said, was allowed to hold a public meeting at Liaquat Bagh in Rawalpindi.

He said that although Interior Minister Moinuddin Haider had announced that political parties would be allowed to hold public meetings on Pakistan Day, the government continued its policy of double standards by not allowing the PPP and ARD to hold a meeting at the Mochi Gate whose gates were locked and the entire area was cordoned off and arrests were made.

Raza Rabbani, flanked by Munawwar Suharawardi, Taj Haider, Muzaffar Shujra, Rashid Rabbani and Habib Junedi, was addressing a press conference at the Bilawal House on Saturday where he gave details of the police high-handedness during the crackdown in Lahore where he said police entered houses without lady constables to arrest the party leaders.