RAWALPINDI: The district administration has decided not to give permission for holding public meetings in Liaquat Bagh and other parks by political parties for their election campaigns to avoid traffic blockades within the city limits, especially on Murree Road.

A senior official of the district administration told Dawn that assistant commissioners had been asked to identify alternative sites for public meetings and submit recommendations within a day or two.

He said the deputy commissioner had asked the administration officials and police to prepare

a plan for public meetings and security arrangements for leaders of main political parties who will come to the city for public meetings till February 6 which is scheduled to be the last day for electioneering.

Official says decision taken to avoid traffic blockades in Rawalpindi city, especially on Murree Road

When contacted, Deputy Commissioner Dr Hassan Waqar Cheema said that by January 13 public meetings will formally start after the final list of candidates is scheduled to be published. He said that arrangements had to be made in this regard.

“If candidates and political parties plan their public meetings on Murree Road, Liaquat Bagh and Fawara Chowk, mean roads on Murree Road and Raja Bazaar will have to be closed and it will create hardship for commuters between Rawalpindi and Islamabad and in and around Raja Bazaar.

He said that there was a dire need to adopt measures to secure thickly-populated areas from traffic congestions.

“In federal capital, the Capital Development Authority has allocated Parade Ground for public meetings and we want to allocate spacious places for public gatherings with sufficient space for parking, security and other requirements,” he said.

He said the administration was aware that Liaquat Bagh was important for public meetings during electioneering but there was a dire need to avoid it for convenience of the local residents.

LiaquatBaghhas too much importance in the political history of the country as two former prime ministers were killed there during public

meetings. Pakistan’s first Prime MinisterLiaquatAli Khan was assassinated at Liaquat Bagh on October 17, 1951.

After the assassination, LiaquatMemorial Hall was constructed in the park and it was managed by Pakistan National Council of the Arts (PNCA) till 2006.

In 2006, National College of Arts (NCA) Rawalpindi was established and the control of the memorial hall was given to it while the park was given under the Parks and Horticulture Authority (PHA).

On December 27, 2007, former prime minister and PPP chairperson Benazir Bhutto was assassinated in a gun-bomb attack when she was leaving Liaquat Bagh after addressinga publicmeeting.

During the British rule, the garden was known as CompanyBagh,spreading over 30 acres. Due to encroachments, the size of Liaquat Bagh has shrunk to 52 kanals and still its land is being encroached upon by the government in the name of development.

Published in Dawn, January 3rd, 2024