May 12 venue dispute: PPP, PTI workers clash in Karachi

KARACHI: Political workers belonging to Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) came to blows after a dispute over venue for May 12 rallies turned violent here in Karachi’s Hakim Saeed ground on Monday night, ARY News reported.

What seemed like a short face-off, soon turned into a full fledged clash as both parties’ workers started throwing stones at each other while some unknown men set fire to the vehicles parked around the venue.

Both the parties had announced University Road’s Hakim Saeed ground as the venue for their May 12 rallies but as the top leadership was still in talks to resolve the issue, the workers of two parties who had set up camps at the venue attacked each other and uprooted each other’s camps.

PPP leader Saeed Ghani blamed PTI for the clash by saying that the party doesn’t have permission to hold their gathering at the venue but had established an illegal camp for three days.

PTI’s Ali Zaidi, on the other hand, claimed that PPP workers resorted to straight firing upon peaceful PTI workers sitting at the party camp.

Police and Rangers have reached the place and are trying to disperse the clashing workers.

Who has the permission?

Addressing a press conference earlier in the day, PPP leader Saeed Ghani claimed that PPP had sought permission from the DC East on May 4, who informed him that no political party was organising or has sought permission to hold a political gathering at the venue.

قانون کے مطابق, جلسے کی درخواست دینے کے بعد پاکستان پیپلزپارٹی کو 12 مئی کو گلشن اقبال میں جلسے کی اجازت مل گئی ہے.
امید ہے PTI کے معاملہ فہم ساتھی مسئلے کو خوش اسلوبی سے حل کریں گے. pic.twitter.com/vOMouCWlL4

— Senator Saeed Ghani (@SaeedGhani1) May 7, 2018

He said the PTI’s Karachi wing had earlier announced to hold their May 12 rally near the VIP Gate of Quaid-e-Azam’s mausoleum but later changed the venue without prior permission.

On the other hand, PTI leadership told media that they announced their plans first and now will hold the political gathering at the same venue. PTI leader Halim Adil Sheikh called on the civil administration to intervene and resolve the dispute.