PDM rally: Multan administration takes control of Qasim Bagh; seals routes

MULTAN: The Multan administration has taken control of Qila Kohna Qasim Bagh stadium again besides arresting various Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) leaders and workers belonging to different political parties including Kasim Gillani, the son of ex-premier Yousaf Raza Gillani after they stormed into the venue by removing barriers, ARY News on Sunday.

Multan police and administration blocked the central routes of the Qila Kohna Qasim Bagh stadium and removed the tents, chairs and other equipment from the venue of the PDM rally. At this time, no PDM leaders or workers are present at the rally’s venue.

After the arrests of PDM leaders and activists, Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam Fazl (JUI-F) supremo Maulana Fazlur Rehman decided to reach Multan today where he will chair a session of political parties included in the opposition alliance.

Read: ‘We’ve taken control of stadium’: PDM workers forcefully enter Multan rally venue

The session will be attended by Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) senior leader Yousaf Raza Gillani, Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) Rana Sanaullah, Sajid Mir, Anas Noorani and others.

The opposition leaders will address a press conference after holding consultations to announce the next strategy.

Since Saturday night, Qila Kohna Qasim Bagh turned into a battleground as a large number of charged workers of various parties part of the opposition alliance went on rampage removing barriers and forcing their way into the venue.

The workers led by leaders of PDM constituent parties, including the PPP and PML-N, forcefully entered the venue by breaking the locks of three of the six stadium gates. They removed roadblocks erected around the venue by the authorities to keep the opposition alliance from holding its public meeting scheduled for November 30.

Taking to Twitter, Syed Ali Musa Gillani, the son of former prime minister Yousuf Raza Gillani, shared a picture of him holding aloft a wooden arrow symbol of the party at the venue with a caption: “We have taken control of the stadium. Stage is being set multan will welcome all the guests.”

Read: Multan police arrest former PM Yousuf Raza Gillani’s son

Later, the police in their crackdown against Pakistan Democratic Movement protestors had arrested Ali Qasim Gillani for leading riots through impediments set to restrict rallies in violation of Covid-19 SOPs.

Police, in a bid to stop protestors from charging through the barricades set in place to stop PDM rallies which is said to be against the COVID-led SOPs, had assigned teams to deal with charged political workers.

It is pertinent to mention here that the opposition alliance Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) had announced to hold a public meeting on November 30 in Multan.

The local administration had denied permission to the opposition parties for the meeting owing to increasing virus cases in the second wave of the COVID-19 in the country.