While the organisers continued to clarify prior to the meeting that it would be a normal public meeting not a major one like that of Lahore. However, presence of people there was beyond their expectation. - AFP Photo

PESHAWAR: Thousands of the people attending the Jhagra public meeting on the outskirts of the provincial capital on Friday gave chairman Pakistan Tehrik-i-Insaf Imran Khan a rousing welcome on arrival.With long queues of vehicles resulting in gridlocks at different points, scores of people had to return without making it to the public meeting.

There was an air of festivity in Jhagra around eight kilometres east of Peshawar city. People of all age groups, mostly youth and including a sizeable number of women, participated in the event organised by former provincial minister and PPP leader Iftikhar Jhagra, who announced there the formal joining of PTI.

The venue of the meeting was packed to capacity and a large number of participants listened to Mr Imran’s speech from outside. A large majority of people had to walk for over two kilometres for catching a glimpse of the PTI chief as a narrow road leading to the venue failed to cope with the large number of vehicles. Apart from cars, public transport vehicles and pickup vans were also seen in the area in large number. They transported people from Peshawar and adjoining districts of Nowshera and Charsadda to the venue of the public meeting.

While the organisers continued to clarify prior to the meeting that it would be a normal public meeting not a major one like that of Lahore. However, presence of people there was beyond their expectation.

The venue selected for the public meeting for which wide publicity was made by Mr Jhagra and other party leaders over last couple of days, proved to be inappropriate. One participant said after a successful show at Lahore on October 30, the organisers should have selected a much spacious and open place. Billboards and banners carrying the messages about the meeting adored different roads.

A 2.5km small road off the GT Road leads to Jhagra, where organisers had leveled several fields for the meeting close to the house of Mr Jhagra and also that of his cousin, Iqbal Zafar Jhagra, a central leader of PML-N.

The participants were very enthusiastic carrying the two-colour PTI flags. Several small processions from different areas marched towards the venue shouting slogans of ‘kaun bachaega Pakistan-Imran Khan Imran Khan (who will save Pakistan–Imran Khan)’ and ‘wazir-i-azam Imran Khan (Imran Khan will become the prime minister’. Some of them carried drums and danced to its beat.

Several youngsters rode silencer-less motorcycles and were busy doing a wheelie and other stunts.

Officials of highway, traffic and regular police were deputed on the GT Road and other arteries leading to Jhagra.

“I have traveled all the way from Charsadda to attend this meeting and even didn’t attend my cousin’s marriage function,” said Sohail Khan, a teenager boarding a pickup van. He said several of his friends and relatives had also been attending the public meeting.

“We have not forced anyone to attend the meeting. Most of the people have joined our vehicular procession from Charsadda on their own,” said Emmad Ali, president of Insaf Youth Wing, Charsadda tehsil. He added that the Lahore public meeting had given the party a big boost and people were massively supporting them.

Earlier in the day, Mr Imran reached University Town, Peshawar to address a news conference at the residence of Saleem Jan Khan, a grandson of Abdul Ghaffar Khan popularly known as Baacha Khan. Several residents of the upscale locality turned up to support PTI.