LAHORE: In response to opposition forces challenging its government with sit-ins in Islamabad, the ruling PML-N demonstrated its muscles on Monday by holding a rally in the city, considered to be its citadel since mid-1980s.

It was a good show at Mozang if compared with the party’s performance in 2011 when it had failed to gather a sufficient number of people at Nasser Bagh despite the alleged use of state machinery.

This time, a party official said, the leadership down to the union council level had been mobilised for ensuring a good gathering. Each UC was asked to send at least 200 workers.

About 12 MNAs and two dozen MPAs from Lahore led processions from their constituencies which after taking a round of their areas merged at downtown Mozang for marching onward to the Charing Cross where the dais had been set on a container.

Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam of Maulana Fazlur Rehman also sent a small procession of its workers.

The city witnessed a traffic mess in the evening as rallies from various areas reached the commercial district. Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf workers blocked the traffic on Gulberg’s Main Boulevard by holding a sit-in at Liberty Roundabout.

Portraits of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif and Hamza Shahbaz were displayed at the Charing Cross stage. PML-N activists carrying national as well as party flags were dancing to the tune of drums and raising slogans in favour of the prime minister.

Addressing the participants, Hamza said the people of Lahore had given a clear message to (PTI leader) Imran Khan that no-one could demand resignation from the prime minister. People had rejected the ‘unconstitutional’ and ‘undemocratic’ attitude of Imran who, he alleged, was levelling allegations against all institutions, including the judiciary.

The scion of the chief minister said that for the first time in the country’s parliamentary history, all parties, except one, had described the demand for PM’s resignation as unconstitutional.

He accused Imran Khan of giving anti-state lessons to the nation by calling for civil disobedience and said that political instability in the country because of the Islamabad sit-in had so far caused a loss of Rs700 billion.

He claimed that the ‘stubborn’ and ‘dictatorial’ attitude of Imran Khan was also leading to the formation of a forward bloc within the PTI on the issue of resignations of the party’s legislators. He accused the PTI chief of backing out of his promises and violating agreements, including the one about not entering the red zone.

He said the nation saluted the courage and graciousness of Nawaz Sharif who, despite indecent remarks made by the PTI chairman, had demonstrated patience and allowed his political rivals to continue their protest.

The PML-N leader said that if Imran Khan was sincere to the nation he should come to parliament and let the elected body work on electoral reforms. In this way, he added, corruption could also be eliminated.

He said that if the PTI chief planned to sit in the container till the resignation of Nawaz Sharif, he should make ration arrangements for four years, a reference to the remaining term of the PML-N government.

Published in Dawn, August 26th, 2014