LAHORE, Nov 5: The Punjab PML-N will go for a strong protest all over the province to express resentment against the arrest of its acting president Javed Hashmi.
The decision to start a two-week protest programme was taken at a meeting of the working committee, presided over by Zulfikar Khosa on Wednesday.
The schedule would be presented to the ARD leaders at a meeting here on Thursday (today).
The party would invite the MMA leaders to its protest programmes so that a strong message could be sent to the rulers.
Khwaja Saad Rafiq, the provincial secretary-general, told newsmen after the meeting that protest would be held at Sheikhupura on Nov 12. The next two days have been earmarked for Okara and Sialkot.
Protest programmes would start at Pakpattan, Kasur, Sargodha, Lahore, Faisalabad, Multan, Bahawalpur and Gujranwala from Nov 16.
Regarding reports that some other opposition leaders could also be arrested on charges similar to those levelled against Javed Hashmi, Saad Rafiq said they were not afraid of such moves.
However, he said, the rulers took such vindictive actions only when they were at the fag end of their tenure.
Saad Rafiq said arrest of one ARD leader would motivate dozens others to come forward and play their role for the cause of democracy.
He said if Javed Hashmi was not set free, a province-wise protest call would be given after Eidul Fitr.
Chief Coordinator Ahsan Iqbal recalled that people held in high esteem anybody labelled as traitor by the military leaders. He said if the head of the party which had founded Pakistan faced sedition charges, he was at a loss to understand who could be regarded as patriot.
Referring to the interior minister’s warnings that some other opposition leaders could be apprehended, Ahsan sarcastically said the minister should better first get himself acquitted of the NAB charges.
Siddiqul Farooq, Rana Sanaullah Khan, Javed Lateef, Inamullah Khan Niazi, Pir Binyamin Rizvi, Zaeem Qadri, Pervaiz Malik, Mian Asad Muhammad and Sardar Ayaz Sadiq were also among the participants.
RESOLUTIONS: The meeting demanded that the NA speaker should stay neutral and perform his obligations impartially.
Through a resolution, the meeting said that the speaker should issue a production order for Javed Hashmi or else he should resign.
Another resolution strongly criticized the government for its operation in Waziristan.
Law and order situation and ascending prices of essential items also came under criticism through another resolution.