PML-N to let PTI go ahead with march

Published July 16, 2014
File photo shows Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif (L) with his brother, Chief Minister Punjab Shahbaz Sharif.—File photo
File photo shows Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif (L) with his brother, Chief Minister Punjab Shahbaz Sharif.—File photo

ISLAMABAD: The government decided on Tuesday to let Imran Khan and his party go ahead with his scheduled Islamabad march on Aug 14.

This decision was taken at a meeting which Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif held with senior leaders of his party to discuss the government’s plan for Independence Day celebrations on the day and the PTI march.

A participant of the meeting told Dawn that the prime minister asked his ministers to avoid creating an impression that the ruling party was under pressure and might opt for the confrontation.

He said that a traditional ceremony to mark the Inde­pendence Day would be held on the day to be attended by about 6,000 invited people.

Time for recounting votes is over: Imran Khan

The PTI has announced its long march will reach Islamabad late in the evening and, therefore, there is no chance of an overlapping of the two events.

Referring to a meeting held at the Prime Minister’s Office on June 20, he said it had been decided by the civil and military leadership to regularly celebrate Aug 14 and March 23 with military parades.

For security reasons, the government had stopped holding the parades over the last few years.

On the latest demand of the PTI for a complete audit of election results, the participant said that since Mr Khan had announced that he would unveil a detailed plan of action on Aug 14, the meeting decided to wait for the announcement.

'Nawaz was elected as PM, not absolute monarch'

However, the prime minister asked all party leaders to contact other political parties for evolving a broad consensus on electoral reforms for which a parliamentary committee had already been announced.

Published in Dawn, July 16th, 2014

Opinion

Editorial

When medicine fails
Updated 18 Nov, 2024

When medicine fails

Between now and 2050, medical experts expect antibiotic resistance to kill 40m people worldwide.
Nawaz on India
Updated 18 Nov, 2024

Nawaz on India

Nawaz Sharif’s hopes of better ties with India can only be realised when New Delhi responds to Pakistan positively.
State of abuse
18 Nov, 2024

State of abuse

DESPITE censure from the rulers and society, and measures such as helplines and edicts to protect the young from all...
Football elections
17 Nov, 2024

Football elections

PAKISTAN football enters the most crucial juncture of its ‘normalisation’ era next week, when an Extraordinary...
IMF’s concern
17 Nov, 2024

IMF’s concern

ON Friday, the IMF team wrapped up its weeklong unscheduled talks on the Fund’s ongoing $7bn programme with the...
‘Un-Islamic’ VPNs
Updated 17 Nov, 2024

‘Un-Islamic’ VPNs

If curbing pornography is really the country’s foremost concern while it stumbles from one crisis to the next, there must be better ways to do so.