PDM should be allowed to hold public gathering in Lahore, PTI's Faisal Javed Khan says

PTI Senator Faisal Javed Khan says the Opposition should be allowed to hold a public gathering in Lahore, reasoning that the Pakistan Democratic Movement wanted the government to try to stop them so they could “score points”.

Khan said the government kept telling the Opposition not to hold the public gathering, but eventually let it happen to avoid clashes. “They [Opposition] are stubborn.”

The senator said PDM should be allowed to hold its jalsa. “What did they achieve by holding one in Peshawar? Even in Multan, 11 parties were unable to bring together a large crowd,” he said.

Faisal said the Ghanta Ghar Chowk in Multan was a small area to fill. The event, he said, would have failed if it was at the Qila Kohna Qasim Bagh Stadium – a much bigger venue.

Read more: Aseefa Bhutto Zardari leads PPP's rally

Multan jalsa

Faisal's comments come a day after the Opposition defied all odds to hold a public meeting in Multan where it pledged to hold a bigger show in Lahore on December 13 ahead of its planned march in Islamabad to oust the Imran Khan-led government. 

The city administration had denied permission to hold the jalsa, citing coronavirus SOPs. But some of the blockades were lifted a couple of hours before the rallies started and PDM was allowed to hold the meeting at Ghanta Ghar Chowk instead of the Qila Kohna Qasim Bagh Stadium originally sought by the PPP. 

Asifa Bhutto Zardari made her political debut at the jalsa, which also marked the PPP's 53rd foundation day. PML-N vice-president Maryam Nawaz advised PM Imran Khan to resign before the Opposition announced its future strategy, while JUI-F and PDM chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman said the opposition would not sit idle until the premier resigns.