In a bid to sabotage the rally planned by the recently-formed opposition alliance Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM), police in Gujranwala have started using traditional tactics and confiscating containers to block the city, reported 24NewsHD TV channel on Tuesday.
That’s why containers are already being placed at the entry and exit points of the PML-N stronghold.
On the other hand, the district administration is removing the banners from around the city, including dozens of panaflex containing the image of PML-N Vice-President Maryam Nawaz.
At this stage, as the Parks and Horticulture Authority (PHA) officials were removing the rally banners, PML-N MPA Taufiq Butt and other local party leaders reached the spot stopping them from doing so.
They are afraid of Maryam Nawaz’s picture, Butt said and added that the whole city would welcome the PML-N leader. The entire Gujranwala would be a rally venue on October 16, he remarked as the charged party workers chanted slogans against the government.
On the other hand, the drivers of the vehicles carrying containers said they were facing an insulting situation on the roads since Monday night, as the police snatched the keys of their trucks and trailers.
According to these drivers, many containers are packed with food items which may spoil soon.
The police have confiscated most of the containers from Khiyali Bypass, Alam Chowk, Nawab Chowk and Qila Chanda Singh.
Earlier, a CCTV footage emerged in which policemen are seen at the dera of local PML-N leader Zubair Cheema as they raided his place to arrest him after he protested against the removal of banners and posters.
On the other hand, PML-N MNA Abid Raza along with central leader Attaullah Tarar in a video message asked the party workers not to cancel a corner meeting and reached the venue despite the police raids.
He warned that they would siege the RPO and CPO offices if the police did not stop arresting the party workers.
Meanwhile, the police also sealed the venue where the PPP had planned a corner meeting after which the party workers gathered outside the local police station to protest the move.
Reacting to the government attitude, PML-N Spokesperson Marriyum Aurangzeb on Tuesday said the entire Gujranwala had become the venue of Oct 16 rally and added that the container-afflicted government won’t be able to sabotage the public meeting through arrests, threats and prison.
She remarked that the Oct 16 rally was giving nightmares to the selected government.
Similarly, PML-N Punjab President Rana Sanaullah said the Oct 16 would prove a referendum against the PTI government.
But it is not just PML-N which is active for the anti-government movement, as sources say JUI-F chief Maulana Fazl-ur-Rehman has directed the party workers to stop preparing for local government elections and focus on the ant-government movement.