RAHIM YAR KHAN, Feb 2: There was a clear division in the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) on staging a rally here for the restoration of the Bahawalpur province, as there were not more than 500 participants in the rally organised by a group led by Mian Imtiaz on Saturday.
PML-N divisional leaders formed a district coordination committee consisting of MNA Arshad Leghari, MPA Chaudhry Shafique, Asghar Koreeja, Khwaja Idrees, Mian Imtiaz and PML-N district president Khalid Shaheen to organise the rally for restoration of the Bahawalpur province and to oppose the proposed Bahawalpur Janoobi Punjab province.
Mian Imtiaz arranged a meeting at his residence three days ago to discuss arrangements for Saturday’s rally. PML-N representatives like senior vice president Chaudhry Shafique Chenab and city president Mian Amir Shahbaz objected to the meeting and said only the district coordination committee had the powers to decide and plan the rally.
Mian Imtiaz, Mehmoodul Hasan Cheema and MPA Maiza Hameed Gujjar organised the rally in which almost 500 people participated.
The rally started from the railway station, where some participants started aerial firing in the presence of police, and terminated at the City Bridge.
Chenab and Shahbaz told Dawn that the rally was not for restoration of the Bahawalpur province and called it a flop show of power by Mian Imtiaz. They said the controversial meeting at the residence of Mian Imtiaz discouraged PML-N workers. They said workers were not informed about the meeting and added that Mian Imtiaz did not consult the PML-N district organisation except president Khalid Shaheen.
Shaheen says that he called a meeting at the PML-N district secretariat, but Mian Imtiaz did not come there. He said that he advised Mian Imtiaz not to call the meeting, but he rejected his advice and called the meeting. Shaheen said Mian Imtiaz called the meeting at his residence despite knowing that majority of PML-N leaders had reservations about it and they would oppose it.
BAHAWALPUR: In pursuance of directives from the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz high-command, the party’s local chapter on Saturday joined the protest campaign against the proposed Bahawalpur Janoobi Punjab province.
In this connection, the local party activists and office-bearers organised a protest camp and a rally at Fawara Chowk that was joined in by rallies from other parts of the district.
The participants displayed anti-province banners at the camp and raised slogans against PPP-led federal government and its coalition partners.
PML-N district president and former federal parliamentary secretary Ali Hassan Gilani, provincial minister Malik Muhammad Iqbal Channar, MNAs Baleeghur Rehman, Begum Parveen Msood Bhatti and Shirin Arshad, MPAs Zulfiqar Ali, Safdar Gill and former MPA Samiullah Chaudhry led the rally.
In their speeches, the party leaders criticised the role of PPP in proposing the new province and rapped the parliamentary commission on the issue headed by Farhatullah Babar.
They alleged the PPP was not sincere in restoring Bahawalpur province, pledging the PML-N, if voted to power, would do the task.